Watson

Mr Rod Watson, an experienced Victorian mathematics teacher, received a BH Neumann Award from Trust Executive Director Peter Taylor and Director of Challenge Bruce Henry at a function at the Riverwalk Hotel, Melbourne, on Friday 05 May 2006.

Peter Taylor, Rod Watson and Bruce Henry.

From left Jennifer Watson, David Watson, Rod and Ann Watson and Andrew and Karen Edwards.

Citation

Brought up in Hampton, a bay-side suburb of Melbourne, Rod showed a strong interest in mathematics at primary school, before going on to Chritian Brothers College, St Kilda, where he was inspired by a number of his teachers.

He went to University on a teacher's scholarship, which paid just over £14 per fortnight and fees, in 1957. He completed a BA with a double major in mathematics and a sub-major in philosophy.

In his first years of teaching he also completed a BSc, kindling an interest in the history and philosophy of science. In the late 1960s and early 1970s he completed an MA in the history of mathematics, studying the contribution of Simon Stevin of Bruges to the development of the calculus, under the supervision of Dr John Pottage.

His first appointment was to Northcote High School, then a boys' school, teaching year 12 calculus and applied mathematics, and being invited to join ETMEC, the Experimental Teaching in Mathematics Encouragement Committee. Here he worked with Graham Willis on teaching trigonometry using the unit circle.

In the 1960s he received various promotions and taught at University High School, Caulfield High School, RMIT Mathematics Department, Melbourne High School, McKinnon High School, and then becoming Deputy Principal at Moorleigh High School, where he was able to keep up his mathematics teaching.

He became a marker of the Higher School Certificate and member of the setting panel for Applied Mathematics in 1979. He continued to work on various setting panels until 2005. He was a member of the various panels for setting the curriculum variously through the 1970s and 1980s.

Rod was particularly involved in the preparation of syllabi for the core of new subjects Mathematics A and B as well as the Mechanics option, and he was largely responsible for the accreditation of the option Deductive Geometry. He has always advocated a greater role for geometry in the curriculum.

Rod spent two years as a Method Tutor with Melbourne University's Faculty of Education, having responsibility for a group of Dip Ed students.

He also had two years as Mathematics Consultant, including responsibility for the moveable set of books and equipment called Maths Mobile.

Rod worked for over 10 years as a lecturer and two years as director of the MAV January camps for students beginning their study of year 12 mathematics.

He has been a member of groups supporting the learning of gifted and talented students: the Camberwell Cluster and the Bentleigh Cluster of the Gifted and Talented Task Force.

Since 1989 Rod has been Victorian First Stage Moderator for the Australian Mathematics Competition for the Westpac Awards, advising on the suitability of proposed problems for Victorian students. This has also led to him being a member of the Problems Committee itself on occasions. I personally worked with him on this until the death of Peter O'Halloran in 1994.

All of the above, together with his obvious enthusiasm, sense of humour, demeanor as a great teacher makes Rod an outstanding choice to be one of this year's three winners of the Australian Mathematics Trust's BH Neumann Award for his contribution to the enrichment of mathematics teaching.

Peter Taylor

Friday 05 May 2006