Programme 

Tuesday 5th  December 2023

Maths and Calc Day Full Programme 2023 - Complete

The general plan for the day 

8.15 am Registration opens

8:55 am:    Welcome and Keynote 

10am: Morning tea

10:30am: Workshop 1

11:35am Workshop 2

1:15pm Keynote:

2:10pm Workshop 3


Morning Keynote:

Subash Chandar K 

AKA @infinityplusone

Infinite lessons learnt, One perspective shifted. 

As we journey into the new realm of mathematics, I'm excited to share the invaluable lessons learnt from students in both physical and virtual classrooms, insights gained as a colleague and Head of Department, and, most importantly as a lifelong learner.

Join me in uncovering the narrative of my shift from the traditional 'sage on the stage' to an advocate for collaborative learning, standing side by side with my students. Discover the driving force and passion that fuel my work as infinityplusone.

In the ever-evolving landscape of education, we'll explore strategies to transform challenges into opportunities presented by the new curriculum. Let's collectively address the dynamic nature of education and embrace the possibilities it holds.

Subash, a dedicated Learning Designer at Ormiston Junior College, is driven by a mission to inspire the next generation of creators and innovators. Motivated by his students' enthusiasm, he consistently challenges his teaching methodologies, positioning himself at the forefront of future-focused education.

In his pursuit of excellence, Subash tailors meaningful tasks to diverse learning styles, aiming to heighten student engagement and equip them for future challenges. Recognized for his outstanding contributions, he has received prestigious awards, including the National Excellence in Teaching Awards (2018), the Margaret and John Kalman Charitable Trust Mathematics Teaching Prize (2017), and the Jim Campbell Award for Teaching Excellence in Mathematics (2017). Notably, Subash is a two-time recipient of the Ernest Duncan Award in 2017 and 2020.

Beyond the classroom, Subash extends his impact through his YouTube channel, infinityplusone. Here, he passionately shares his love for education and supports thousands of NCEA students in navigating their NCEA Maths exams. 



Afternoon Keynote: 

Mike Thomas



The Learning and Teaching of Calculus : Ideas, Insights and Activities

Mike's Talk will be in relation to his work in co-authoring the recently published book of the same title. He will be sharing some of those ideas, insights and activities, with the aim of stimulating thinking about calculus concepts and approaches to teaching them. 


Mike Thomas is an Emeritus Professor of Mathematics Education in the Mathematics Department at Auckland University. He taught secondary mathematics for 21 years before a research career resulting in over 220 refereed research publications, encompassing the nature of advanced mathematical thinking, the role of representations in versatile learning of mathematics and the use of digital technology in learning mathematics at both school and university. He was the 2015 Bevan Werry speaker and has presented numerous research seminars around the world. He has given two invited lectures at ICME (2004 and 2016), led the survey team for ICME12 on mathematical difficulties in the transition from school to university and was a member of ICME14 survey team on research on university mathematics education.


Workshop 1 options

In this workshop we will play a couple of maths games and consider the implicit messages these games give about what it means to be a learner of mathematics. I will invite workshop attendees to critically re-think the games and other activities they do in their own classrooms in light of such messages. 

Lisa Darragh is a senior lecturer in mathematics education at the University of Auckland. She teaches undergraduates in initial teacher education and on postgraduate courses. Her research interests include student learner identity, digital platforms for learning mathematics, and socio-political issues in mathematics education. 


For more than a decade I have run a day-long mathematical modelling competition, where teams of senior secondary students from all over the country attempt to solve a real-world problem using mathematics. Each year's problem is short to state but challenging to tackle, e.g. "How much fuel is required for a manned mission to Mars?" The reports submitted by each team provide a snapshot of how students approach challenging, open-ended problems. This session will reflect on what makes a successful mathematical problem solver and strategies we can use to encourage students to become better problem solvers (Fermi Problems!). 

Peter Bier is an award-winning mathematical modelling teacher from the University of Auckland, well known for spicing up his teaching with juggling and unicycling. He coordinates the MAX programme, which provides the opportunity for secondary students to take a first-year university mathematics course, while still at school. He also runs the NZ Engineering Science Competition, a day-long mathematical modelling event for senior secondary students. 


Join Phil Truesdale, Learning Area Lead - Numeracy in this interactive workshop about how our learners can be supported to be foundationally numerate. Phil will share how strategies he used in his own practice connect to US32406: Use mathematics and statistics to meet the numeracy demands of a range of situations and how this leads to success in the assessment of numeracy - and most importantly, success for our learners beyond school. 

Phil has recently joined the Ministry of Education as Learning Area Lead - Numeracy. Prior to this, he was a Head of Department at Papanui High School in Christchurch, held roles on NZAMT's Executive Committee and provided advice to a range of Ministry initiatives from the perspective of a practising teacher. 


In 2018, the Diocesan Math department started on our journey of Mātauranga Māori. With help from guest speakers, we unpacked the meaning of Mātauranga and Te Ao Māori. We then as a faculty, engaged in a lot of different activities to help us feel confident and competent to, when we were ready, create authentic Mātauranga Māori lessons. In 2023, we are still going strong, still learning, still happy to share what we have been doing so that others may come away feeling confident about Mātauranga Māori as well. 

Ko Hikurangi te Maunga, Ko Waiapu te Awa. Susan is the HOF Mathematics at Diocesan Girls school here in Auckland. She likes teaching, learning and helping others. 


This was my first year of teaching this course. My students have taught me about as much as I have tried to teach them! I have learnt not just content, but also some important skills and concepts. Please join me as I share these with you! 

Carl has taught Mathematics for 30 hears in South Africa before immigrating to New Zealand. In Sout Africa, he was a national examiner for 10 years, an author for a series of Mathematics textbooks, and headed up Mathematics faculties at three schools. He is currently teaching Scholarship Calculus, and Cambridge Further Mathematics at Macleans College. 


Pip Arnold -  Karekare Education

In this workshop Pip will share some materials that have been created to support the refreshed mathematics and statistics curriculum. The materials are in draft, due for release in term 1 2024. 


This presentation will run through the changes we made to our teaching programme as a pilot school of the new L1 NCEA mathematics and statistics course. There will be some discussion on assessments and how they ran and what is possible. Where possible, I will try and engage with thought provoking statements and hopefully afterwards attendees will feel more comfortable with what is expected in 2024 and beyond. 

Francis has had 25 years experience teaching mathematics and statistics in NZ. He currently teachers at Inglewood High School in Taranaki. He is secretary of NZAMT and has been involved in the writing of the new NCEA standards. He has piloted the new NCEA Level 1 standards in 2023. 

Workshop 2 options

Lisa Darragh is a senior lecturer in mathematics education at the University of Auckland. She teaches undergraduates in initial teacher education and on postgraduate courses. Her research interests include student learner identity, digital platforms for learning mathematics, and socio-political issues in mathematics education. 

This hands-on workshop will introduce you to the art of juggling, as well as the mathematics used to describe and generate new juggling patterns. It will also provide ideas on how you can use juggling to create a more memorable learning experience. Be prepared to be entertained and a little challenged too, experiencing what it is like to be a student again, by exploring some mathematical problems and learning to juggle 3 balls.

Peter Bier is an award-winning mathematical modelling teacher from the University of Auckland, well known for spicing up his teaching with juggling and unicycling. He coordinates the MAX programme, which provides the opportunity for secondary students to take a first-year university mathematics course, while still at school. He also runs the NZ Engineering Science Competition, a day-long mathematical modelling event for senior secondary students. 


Mark will focus on the resources that are available to help further plan and deliver an effective teaching, learning and assessment programme in 2024. There will be plenty of time for questions and feedback. Mark will be joining us through video conference from Dunedin. An AMA committee member will be facilitating the session so the session has a workshop feel, but with Mark's high level MoE knowledge to guide us and answer questions. 



We are hearing a lot about how school students are not prepared for university study, even if they have passed their NCEA exams and have the pre-requisites for their courses, and for Engineering, this is particularly noticeable in their core maths and calculus understanding. We also hear from teachers who want to know how they can better support their students' preparation for tertiary study, and what core skills and content they could teach their students beyond (or through) what the NCEA standards require. This workshop is aimed at bringing teachers and Engineering academics together for a discussion around the skills and content that would be valuable for students to know, and how both groups might be able to support each other in the future, with a view to ensuring students have the best chance of success in their chosen career path. 

Ashleigh manages a project in the Faculty of Engineering to encourage more women into STEM, and inspire them to consider Engineering as a career path. This includes initiatives such as the Y11 Holiday Camp, virtual and in-person Study Mentoring and NCEA exam revision, schools outreach, teacher engagement, and a range of networking events through the year. 

As the WEN Adviser, Kelly is focused on the participation, retention and success of female engineering students. She works closely with the Women in Engineering Network of current students and industry sponsors, and engages with schools to raise the profile of Engineering as a career choice for girls. 


Sally is HOD of Maths at Albany Senior High School. 

Do you ever wonder about the impact you're making in your classroom? Can we truly measure the depth of our students' learning experience? Join us for an interactive workshop where we delve into these questions. "Elevating Mathematics Teaching" utilises Robert Dilts' neurological level of change as a guiding framework. This interactive session is designed to explore innovative ideas and strategies, empowering you to enhance your students' mathematical capabilities and identities.

By the workshop's end, you'll be equipped with practical tools and fresh insights to elevate your teaching practice, ensuring a more profound impact on your akonga. This may be an opportunity to take your teaching to new heights and make a lasting difference in your classroom. 

Tom is a teacher at Epsom Girls Grammar School. He is also an in-school leader for Auckland Central Community of Schools, focusing on learner agency. He was a recipient of the Kalman Mathematics Teacher Fellowship. 


This session looks at connecting the Big Ideas and Significant Learning in Mathematics & Statistics with those in other subjects to provide a rich learning experience for akonga. A case study approach will provide teachers with tangible examples of these connections and demonstrating how assessment can naturally fall out of this collaboration. 

Edwin is an experienced secondary mathematics teacher. He has recently joined the Ministry of education as an NCEA implementation facilitator (NiF).This role is to support schools through the NCEA changes in Mathematics and Statistics. Edwin's region is Te Tai Tokerau, North Island and is based in Kaitaia. 



Workshop 3 options

Teacher (and HOD) of mathematics at Western Springs College - Ngā Puna o Waiōrea. Teaching in a Innovative Learning Environment with an interest in the use of technology in mathematics education. Recently finished a Masters in Professional studies in mathematics education. 

I am currently Head of Faculty, Mathematics at St John's College, Hamilton. I began teaching nearly 20 years ago as a Digital Technology teacher with maths on the side, and left the profession after 5 years suffering the common burnout of young teachers. After a time to reflect, I returned to teaching reinvigorated and focused on Maths.

I now focus on my teaching practice with specific reference to research to ensure what I am doing can produce the best outcomes for my students. 

Julia is an experienced Mathematics and Statistics teacher with a passion for supporting teachers to make learning engaging and relevant for all. Julia is an accredited PLD facilitator with Cognition Education. She has expertise in improving pedagogy in mathematics and statistics, designing school wide programs with a focus on the transition between primary and secondary school, statistics teaching and learning, and NCEA assessment. Julia was a member of the Common Practice Model Contributors Group. 




Heather Ricketts - AUT
For students who struggle with equations I have created some Desmos activities to help model mathematical relationships and discover properties of linear, quadratic, exponential and simultaneous equations along with trigonometric functions. Students engage readily and questions can be asked that guide an exploration of the properties of these equations and functions. 

Heather is a lecturer in the School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematical Sciences, at AUT. She teaches statistics, problem solving and algebra in the Foundation programme. 


Caroline Yoon & Robyn Gandell- University of Auckland & Unitec
Workshop description to come, check back shortly

How is mathematics related to our bodies and the way they move? This workshop explores historical and psychological connections between mathematics and our bodies. We will take a look at examples of classroom practices that deliberately involve bodily movement in mathematics teaching and learning and will try a few activities ourselves! 

Caroline Yoon is an Associate Professor in Mathematics Education at the University of Auckland. She is currently working on a collection of stories and essays that follows the mathematical experiences of a fictional family while the child attends primary school. She is interested in ways to support creativity in the mathematical experience.  

Robyn is a senior lecturer at Unitec Institute of Technology and was awarded her doctorate, investigating movement in students’ mathematical problem solving, from the University of Auckland in 2023. She has taught dance and mathematics at secondary school, was a physiotherapist for several years and has always danced. In her current role, Robyn teaches and is Curriculum Lead for mathematics in the foundation/ bridging programmes.