This year the maths teachers are focusing on building fluency skills using Retrieval Practice. This involves daily reviews each lesson based on previously learned content before commencing with the content for the lesson. In Years 7 and 8 we are focusing on times tables skills and in Years 9 and 10 we are focusing on algebra skills. By building fluency in basic mathematical skills, students will have more working memory to work on the new concepts being learned. Your child will have homework after every maths lesson. This may consist of finishing class work or a worksheet to complete before the next lesson. Please assist your child in completing their homework and do not hesitate to contact their classroom teacher if you find they need additional support.

Equipment

All students are expected to have their equipment every lesson. This includes;

• Maths Workbook
• Maths Textbook
• Charged Laptop
• Black and Red Pens
• Pencil
• Ruler
• Calculator (Casio FX-82AU Preferred)

The maths staff are looking forward to working with students this year to improve their maths and make maths enjoyable.

The Importance of Playing Games

Do you remember sitting around the dining table as a child playing board games with your friends and family? You might not have realised it, but you were learning maths and many other skills. Games such as Monopoly, Pay Day, Rummikub, MasterMind and many other games require us to think mathematically and logically. Many students, when learning about probability in maths class, do not know simple card facts such as how many cards are in a deck of cards, how many suits in a deck, what a picture card is. Playing these games with your child can help to develop their mathematical thinking and teach them about the probability of winning/losing within a game.

Shin, Sutherland, Norris, and Soloway (2012) state that games have consistently yielded positive results regarding student motivation, persistence, curiosity, attention, and attitude toward learning and their study indicates that games can have a positive impact on students’ learning in mathematics, regardless of their ability level.

Squire (2005) states that play is a powerful pervasive method of learning outside school, it is crucial to the development of new skills and social roles. He goes on to indicate that games allow us to bend or temporarily dismiss normal social rules and hence take on a different identity within the game (Squire, 2005). Games can create intense engagement in learners, encourage active learning or learning by doing, which are effective tools for enhancing learning and understanding of complex subject matter.  Games are an effective way to learn because they combine learning and fun, offer maths in different contexts that require exploration and challenge them to learn maths.

So, in this time of social isolation due to the increased use of digital technologies, why not sit down and help your child learn maths (or English (Scrabble) Geography (Risk) etc.) by playing a family board or card game. Help to make the learning of maths fun.

Amanda Brown

Mathematics Coordinator

References:

Shin, N., Sutherland, L. M., Norris, C. A., & Soloway, E. (2012). Effects of game technology on elementary student learning in mathematics. British journal of educational technology, 43(4), pp. 540-560.

Squire, K., (2005). Changing the Game: What happens when video games enter the classroom? Innovate: Journal of Online Education, 1 (6).