1.  Learning Mathematics
Across the Transition Years
(Year 6 to Year 7)

2. Research sources:
Attard, C Students’ Experiences of Mathematics during the Transition Years from Primary to Secondary School. Paper presented at MERGA Conference. UWS, Sydney
Gibbs, R & Poskitt, J Dr Student Engagement in the Middle Years of Schooling (Years 7-10). Ministry of Education, New Zealand
Thomson, S & Bucklet, S Informing mathematics pedagogy: TIMSS 2007 Australia and the world 
Vale, C Meaningful mathematics in the middle years ® Victoria University of Technology
The teachers will have access to the first two papers in hard copy; the other two pages + and additional one have been placed on the ‘Numeracy4Life’ wiki on the page ‘Maths Planning for 2011’

3. Key Learnings - Resilience, Engagement, Risk taking and Optimism
Significant point highlighted in the Australian research Opening up pathways:Engagement in STEM across the Primary-Secondary school transition June DEEWR pp
…It has been shown that resilience in the form of optimism (Seligman et al., 1995) is possessed by students who are inclined to explore new mathematical ideas (Williams, 2005, 2006a). Links between optimism and mathematical performance have been identified in an Australian quantitative study
(Yates, 2002), and links between intellectual quality, cognitive and affective engagement and optimism have been identified in case studies in Year 8 mathematics classrooms in Australia and the USA (Williams, 2005).
These four dispositions have been found to have great significance for the learning of mathematics.
Peter I will send you this paper so that you can read pages in order to extrapolate this point further. It is an easy read.

4. Ministry of Education New Zealand study - focus on engagement in Mathematics
Part B – The pedagogical approaches that promote and
support student engagement for improved learning and
achievement during the middle schooling years
Page 25
Introduction
What impact can teachers have on student engagement, particularly those students who exhibit low levels? Can students become more interested and engaged learners? Fortunately, teachers can organise their teaching and learning programmes to have a positive impact on student self-efficacy, and therefore on student engagement and learning in the classroom (Linnenbrink & Pintrich, 2003). This section of the report explores a range of principles and classroom
strategies that are known to positively influence student engagement and learning.
This paper provides the practical advice to complement the point raised in the last slide. The introduction cited above makes it very clear about the relationship that teachers need to develop between their students and themselves which will play out in a teaching and learning programme that deliberately focuses on the promotion of student engagement, and student belief int heir ability to be mathematicians.

5. The paper proposes that there are four ‘key approaches for fostering
middle school students engagement in learning
(a) Nurturing trusting relationships
(b) engaging students in fun learning activities
(c) making learning meaningful
(d) enabling students to learn better and helping them
take responsibility for their learning
and
(e) concludes with a general overview about teachers
fostering student engagement in the classroom. These
approaches incorporate the factors discussed above.
The introduction to this section of the New Zealand paper concludes with an enticing invitation to find out what these approaches are. Pages

6. So what are these principles and classroom strategies ?
Firstly…
Nurturing trusting relationships pg 25
Caring about them …pg 26
Knowing them well pg 26
Being fair pg 26
Give the teachers a couple of minutes to read these two pages and to highlight the main ideas .
Then Ask for these main ideas and invite comment as appropriate

7. So what are these principles and classroom strategies ? (cont’d)
Secondly…
Engaging students in fun learning activities pg.26
Making learning fun pg 26
Viewing learning from a student perspective …pg 27
Learning Discussion pg 27
Cooperative learning pg 28
Peer tutoring pg 29
Problem-based learning pg 29
“Hands-on” work …pg 29
Demonstrations pg 29
Use of video games and technology pg 30
Assign two areas to each teacher and direct them to identify a key feature of the strategy and then the benefits of
using it with the students. Feed information back to the group -discuss only for clarification

8. So what are these principles and classroom strategies ? (cont’d)
Finally,…
Making learning meaningful
Indicating why learning something is important and relating content to students’ lives
Enabling students to learn better and helping them take responsibility for their own learning
Conclusion
You could give a quick precise of the information found on these two pages.

9. Case Study
Students’ Experiences of Mathematics During the Transition from Primary to Secondary School.
by Catherine Attard
University of Western Sydney
The accounts provided in this case study support most of the points raised in the New Zealand paper as principles and strategies that are most effective when teaching mathematics to students in the middle years of schooling.
The school that was the case study for this research paper is one from our diocese. I think it will be fairly obvious as to which one it is. Whilst the classroom learning environment I=was set up differently to the traditional type, like that which exists at Delany, there are some very obvious learnings that are relevant and exemplify the key points raised in the New Zealand paper.

10. Key learnings
So, what are the implications of this work for programming, teaching and learning for ourselves and our students here at Delany?

11. Let’s bring together our learnings from the MAI instrument and the research we have just briefly examined…
What will be the impact of these learnings on programming and classroom teaching and learning practices?
What will be needed to support us in this endeavour?
Discussion around these 2 questions will conclude the workshop.