THE MATHEMATICAL THE COMMON ASSOCIATION OF VICTORIA DENOMINATOR 2/15 AN AMAZING RACE Students are totally absorbed in Lumen Christi’s mathematics challenge: The Amazing Race. INSIDE As children darted from stage to stage eagerly chatting about strategies, encouraging and praising each other’s mathematical eforts it was clear that this of all school days was one that Pattern and would be remembered. A day from which we could establish interest and engagement, a day structure from which we could raise both the profile of mathematics in our school community and in the 7 minds of the students that we teach. What had started as an ambition to host a competition Problem solving challenges had quickly permeated through the school and taken on a life of its own. Indeed, from little high ability students ideas big things grow or in this case from MAV Games Days whole school engagement grows. 8 Games: In early September 2014, our school, Lumen Christi Catholic Primary School, was fortunate just trivial pursuits? enough to host a Year 6 MAV Games Day. The day was a great success and really helped 11 students apply their knowledge of mathematics in a supportive team environment, where the Mathematica and the focus was less about getting the ‘right’ answer but more about enjoying everything that maths 14Australian Curriculum has to ofer. Continued on page 4 FROM THE PRESIDENT Associate Professor Marj Horne - Faculty of Education, Australian Catholic University THE COMMON SOAK UP MATHS DURING THE REVISED VCE MATHEMATICS DENOMINATOR SUMMER STUDY IMPLEMENTATION The MAV’s magazine SUPPORT WORKSHOPS published for its members. Applications for the 2016 National _____________________________ Mathematics Summer School are now The revised VCE Mathematics study Magazine 254, April 2015 open. design is now available for implementation from 2016 and can be downloaded from The Mathematical Association of Being awarded a place at this summer www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/ Pages/vce/studies/ Victoria, 61 Blyth Street school gives students who love mathematics futuresd.aspx. Brunswick VIC 3056 an opportunity to have fun together as they discuss and explore mathematics from The Victorian Curriculum and Assessment ABN: 34 004 892 755 some very diferent perspectives. Give your Authority (VCAA) in conjunction with Tel: 03 9380 2399 students who love mathematics a chance the Mathematical Association of Victoria Fax: 03 9389 0399 to apply. There is generally a limit of two (MAV) have organised a series of applicants from each school selected, this Professional Learning workshops during [email protected] gives more chance for a variety of schools to May and June 2015 to support teachers www.mav.vic.edu.au be involved. Students from all over Australia in preparation for implementation of the who are in Year 11 in 2015 apply. It is a revised VCE Mathematics study design Ofce hours: two-week program held at the Australian 2016 – 2018. Participants are encouraged 8.30am – 5pm National University in Canberra from 3-16 to take the revised mathematics study Monday to Friday January 2016. Many enduring friendships design and any draft course plans to the are made on this very special summer workshops. Workshops will be provided for President: Marj Horne school, now in its 48th year, and each year each of the following studies: CEO: Simon Pryor FSAE FAIM a few past students return to help run the program. Mathematical Methods: Units 1 - 4 Print Post Approved There is a strong emphasis on solving Specialist Mathematics: Units 1 - 4 Publication No: PP100002988 problems and many students often find _____________________________ Further Mathematics: Units 3 & 4 themselves working on problems well into General Mathematics: Units 1 & 2 the night (because they want to)! There Foundation Mathematics: Units 1 & 2 The Common Denominator may contain is also a strong emphasis on recreation, paid advertisements for third party exploration and fun and many activities, products and services. Third party Participants can attend one or more of these advertisements are not endorsements tours and talks are organised. During workshops as applicable. or recommendations by the The afternoon recreation, students are free to WORKSHOP DATES AND VENUES Mathematical Association of Victoria socialise and explore Canberra (popular of the products or services ofered. The activities include ice skating, ten pin The majority of venues have Polycom MAV does not make any representation bowling, tandem bike riding around the access, hence allowing participants to as to the accuracy or suitability of any lake). There is an entertaining dinner and attend at a live venue or participate via of the information contained in those concert on the last night. advertisements. The MAV takes no video conferencing. A main school will responsibility for the content of the ads, Selection is based on the strength of a host the presenter and other schools can promises made, or the quality/reliability student’s written application, a teacher video conference via Polycom into the main of the products or services ofered in all reference, and the creativity and school feed. advertisements. perseverance you show on a problem ALL SESSIONS ARE FREE For more information about advertising solving test. The NMSS contribution is with MAV email Louise Gray, $1200 and an additional travel surcharge [email protected]. (amount to be advised) applies if students/ _____________________________ parents want NMSS to organise return travel from Melbourne airport. The closing To find dates and venues refer to the date for applications is 24 July, 2015 and flyer inserted in this edition of Common Denominator. To register, visit the 90-minute selection MAV Test for NMSS will be held on 7 August, 2015 at http://registration.mav.vic.edu.au/reg/. the applicant’s school. For more information contact Helen Haralambous, 9380 2399 or email Application form can be downloaded at [email protected] www.mav.vic.edu.au/activities/student- activities/national-mathematics-summer- school.html. 2 MATHEMATICALLY ACTIVE Is your school doing amazing things in MATHEMATICS ACTIVE SCHOOLS the area of mathematics education? Applications are now open for MAV’s • Baden Powell College • Milgate Primary School Mathematics Active Schools program. • Killara Primary School • Mount View Primary School • Penleigh and Essendon Grammar • Sacre Coeur Visit www.mav.vic.edu.au/maths active - - School (Primary) • Serpell Primary School school accreditation.html to get more - • Richmond West Primary School • Stonnington Primary School information about the program and details • Sunshine College • St Thomas Moore Primary School on how to apply. • John Monash Science School MAV Councillor, Max Stephens presents Serpell Primary School with their Mathematics Active Schools Accreditation. MATHS ON ABC SPLASH MAV has produced several units for maths THE STORY OF MATHS (EXCERPTS) SLOT CAR CHALLENGE on ABC Splash. Check them out. http://splash.abc.net.au/search?keyword Slot car challenge provides an onscreen slot EXPONENTIAL GROWTH =keyword:Marcus%20du%20Sautoy car game with several types of cars (varying power and mass) and several tracks (varying Exponential growth and doubling time FASCINATING PRIME NUMBERS levels of difculty). Students improve utilises video and spreadsheets for performance by interpreting graphs of background and investigations to help http://splash.abc.net.au/res/teacher_ velocity against distance or time. student understand this difcult but res/25-Fascinating-prime-numbers.html important function. CHOOSE YOUR OWN STATISTIC The efect of added mass or power on the ability to round a corner is studied to http://splash.abc.net.au/media/- http://splash.abc.net.au/media/- (almost) simulate real driving. /m/1150634/exponential-growth-and- /m/1520313/statistics-game doubling-time 3 AN AMAZING RACE Cassandra Lowry and Marguerite McGrath - Lumen Christi Catholic Primary School While the format of rounds one and three were familiar and relatively easy to set up, the middle round the Amazing Race took a little more planning. The fifteen mathematics stations were set up across the school. Each of these stations required students to complete a task from a diferent area of mathematics. Stations included measuring distance, comparing capacity, matching facts, following directions, ordering numbers, creating shapes and continuing patterns. Like the show, each station involved a choice of two similar challenges. For example at the comparing capacity station (set in the school sand pit) students had the option of finding and ordering the capacity of five diferent containers or calculating the number of cups a much larger container would hold. After choosing and completing one of the tasks, students were rewarded with a yellow letter that would include a clue to the location of the team’s next challenge. Parent helpers, student leaders and a few teachers helped to supervise each of the 15 stations. Clear instructions and solutions Students absorbed in a puzzle activity. were provided at each station, which allowed station supervisors to encourage, rather than Preparations for this day had seen the show The Amazing Race. Could we host needing to constantly check the accuracy school host an ‘in house’ Year 5 Maths a Maths Amazing Race? A race in which of student responses. The emphasis was on Games day earlier in the year. Following teams worked together to solve a series of trying to problem solve as team rather than a similar format to the MAV Games Day, challenges? The answer came loud and clear being right or wrong. where teams of four students participate ‘of course we can!’. To assist students to complete each in a series of challenges, this event had the The Amazing Race was an easy sell but challenge efciently the option of using added incentive of involving three adult a clue card was incorporated into the teams (two teacher and one parent team). coordinators were conscious of building towards the MAV Games Day too and so Amazing Race.