The What Works Series - Effective Maths: From Resource to Implementation

The third iteration of The What Works Series will provide Professional Learning for teachers by experts in the field of resourcing and implementation. If you are on journey to improving resources, curriculum implementation and classroom practice, this professional learning day will steer you in the right direction.
Each presenter will share what they have learned from implementing evidence-informed maths and demonstrate what it can look like from resourcing to classroom practice.

Overview structure of the day - 
8:15 onwards - arrival and sign in (Coffee Cart available for purchase)
9-9:15 - Welcome from the Principal - Rhys Coulson

9:15 - 10:05 - Keynote 1 - Brendan Lee
10:05 - 10:55 - Keynote 2 - Bruno Reddy

Morning Tea break 

11:15 - 1:20 - Breakout 1 & 2
Breakout sessions will be provided by:
Samantha Charlton

Martin Ravindran 

Sue Davis

James Dobson

Sacha Giurietto

Brendan Lee

Bruno Reddy 

Reid Smith

Dave Morkunas

Lunch break 

2:00 - 2:50 - Keynote 3 - Reid Smith
2:50 - 3:40 - Keynote 4 - Dave Morkunas

3:40 - 3:55 - Panel questions
4:00pm - Finish

Tickets are purchased individually at $90 each. This includes access to all presenter slides and resources shared via a googledrive for 1 week after the event. 

Brendan Lee and Jeanette Breen have put this event together with the intention of providing quality maths Professional Learning that is practical and affordable. It is a not-for-profit event and all proceeds go towards venue, catering and presenter costs. We are very grateful to all presenters and participants for giving up time on the weekend and committing to improving teaching and learning.

We look forward to your feedback.

All queries are to be directed to:

jeanette.breen@education.vic.gov.au
Twitter: @jettybe3

brendanraylee@gmail.com
Twitter: @learnwithmrlee

* This event is proudly supported by Think Forward Educators.

Host School:
Templestowe Heights Primary School
templestowe.heights.ps@education.vic.gov.au

Twitter: @tempyheightsps

Details about our presenters:

Brendan Lee

Bruno Reddy - After teacher training through Teach First, Bruno co-founded a secondary school in London that became (and continues to be) one of the highest-performing in England. He's got a keen interest in positive classroom culture and maths teacher effectiveness (particularly in modelling and questioning). Bruno is fully committed to helping millions of students get off to a great start in maths through his two apps (Times Tables Rock Stars and NumBots). At the weekend, he mostly drives his two young sons from one sports fixture to another or his wife up the wall with another idea.

Keynote: The art and science of on-the-fly questioning
Bringing in elements of classroom routines, checking for understanding and variation theory, Bruno's talk will help you effortlessly create juicy learning moments for your class. 

Workshop: How not to teach multiplication tables
Once you've found out what 'gotchas' to avoid and how timed tests really create stress, Bruno will share whether understanding or recall comes first, the trickiest facts to memorise and how to support students who struggle with the tables. 

Dave Morkunas is a Learning Specialist at Brandon Park Primary School, driving whole-school improvement in Mathematics. He is also a director and lesson writer of Explicit Mathematics Program, a highly structured primary maths program designed from the ground up to guarantee student success. David has run sessions on maths for organisations including ResearchED, Learning Difficulties Australia, and Sharing Best Practice. 

Keynote: Motivation from Success
Flipping the Script on Attitudes about Mathematics There still exists a pernicious falsehood about teaching and learning: if only lessons were more “engaging”, then students would learn more! This misguided approach to instruction not only saps teachers of their precious time but falls short in doing the thing it claims to – improving student motivation. During this session, David will talk about the need to reframe our preconceived ideas of student motivation. He will walk through his approach to teaching mathematics that has not only improved student outcomes, but also transformed their attitude towards the subject. 

Breakout: Teaching the Four Operations
From Concrete to Abstract Proficiency with the four operations is vital for students’ mathematical understanding and overall ability. Join David Morkunas as he demonstrates how to first introduce the standard algorithms using concrete materials, and how to move students along to using abstract representations as soon as is practical. In a highly contentious move, David will be presenting without slides (he is as scared about this as you might imagine). Participants will gain access to materials that explain the operations after the conference.

James Dobson is a Foundation teacher and Learning Specialist at Campbells Creek Primary School including Guildford Campus. James has worked with students from a diverse range of backgrounds in Victoria and the Northern Territory. He is passionate about ensuring that all students receive a quality education.

Breakout: Making Sense of Numbers
How do we teach students in the early years of school about the wonderful world of numbers? James will help you understand the big ideas behind early numeracy and share practical insights to support your students.

Martin Ravindran is the Grade 3 leader at Templestowe Heights Primary school, and is currently also a Mathematics Subject Lead for Ochre Education. He thoroughly enjoys the process of lesson creation, and has a keen interest on how to best deliver and sequence mathematical content. Hailing from Singapore, Martin came over to pursue a Masters of Teaching in Early Childhood and Primary, and has since been an advocate for evidence-based instruction.

Breakout: Bar modelling – The what, why, and how
This session will cover the rationale for the use of bar models in mathematics instruction, and show various ways in which bar models can be used. It will contain practical examples of how to teach students to use them, and how they aid in problem-solving processes.

Reid Smith is co-CEO of Ochre Education, a not for profit sharing the expertise and experiences of teachers with their colleagues to support great teaching. He is also a member of La Trobe University's Science of language and Reading (SOLAR) Lab.

Keynote: Instructional cycles in focus
In this session, we will examine explicit instruction, focusing on the types of learning activities that could occur in each part of the cycle and the ways that the cycle could be adjusted depending on the concepts to be learned.

Breakout: Using Ochre materials in context
In this session, we will discuss ways in which Ochre Maths lesson resources can be adapted and used in classrooms. There will be a focus on intellectual preparation prior to teaching, and adjustments teachers can make during the lesson.   

Sacha Giurietto

Samantha Charlton

Sue Davis