Thank you for visiting my site! Initially, this site was developed as part of my Master of Education studies; however the feedback and encouragement I have received on its value has inspired me to develop it further. Your comments and feedback is therefore very much appreciated to help shape this resource. 

 

 

Throughout my teaching career I have developed a passion for numeracy development and mathematics education; however this was only discovered at university during my own undergraduate studies. Throughout my primary and secondary education, I experienced much angst and anxiety when studying mathematics – and unfortunately I see the same trends in pre-service and primary school students with whom I currently teach. Throughout my undergraduate studies (2004-2007), it soon became evident that it was not my capacity to learn mathematical concepts and apply them with confidence that was flawed; it was instead the very narrow pedagogical approaches and surface level conceptual instruction I received as a child. Once I started exploring multiple, contemporary pedagogies and the relationships between what could be described as 'simple' mathematical concepts, my whole perspective, confidence and disposition towards mathematics changed.

 

This inspired me to become proficient in the conceptual understanding of primary level mathematics, numeracy development and contemporary pedagogical approaches.

As a result, I also started to develop a drive to inspire those I teach – both at a professional level as well as a classroom level. The basis of this drive and inspiration was based on 3 key issues;

 

        1) To prove that mathematics is not to be feared - by ANYONE!;

 

        2) Numeracy is an essential element in our daily lives to participate and contribute to           society; and

 

        3) That we are all capable of achieving success in this subject and life skill – it is not             just for “the gifted”.

 

 

My teaching philosophy reflects a student centred approach whereby I promote and foster a community of learners, in which I place great emphasis on students (of any age) developing the skills to constructively challenge each other, think deeply and be critical in their learning experiences.  I have developed this website to reflect this philosophy which is informed by current literature and supported by contemporary pedagogy. 

 

My greatest hope for this resource is that it provides some inspiration and even excitement (!!!) for teachers of primary level mathematics, particularly when teaching concepts that can be quite challenging and complex, such as time or pattern and algebraic reasoning - both of which are exemplified under the Effective Teaching Ideas tab above. 

 

Best wishes,

 

Chelsea :)