15 November 2017
David Watson explains why planning for the Stage 6 Mathematics Standard syllabus and new forms of assessments are a priority and how to implement these effectively.
It is often true that there is a right answer and a wrong answer, investigation is what makes Maths really good… a Mathematician is interested in so much more than getting the right answer.
The re-categorisation of Standard 1, I feel, works very much in our favour as teachers. It makes that course much more relevant and obvious to kids… it’s an opportunity for us and knowing what NESA’s intentions are helps us to implement the new syllabus best.
Many of the topics are very much the same as they were before… there are a few inclusions that are worth noting and that we are unfamiliar with. I found researching these and why they exist is really helpful for understanding why I am teaching it…Networks is by far the biggest change and only included in Year 12… Asking ‘Why would a kid find this useful?’ was a really helpful way for me to understand what the topic is about.
…I like to see students being less fearful about our subject.
David Watson
Note for listeners: This episode was originally recorded for the JPL Podcast, hence the references to the JPL Podcast throughout.