The National Catholic Education Commission (NCEC) explains how expert secondary mathematics teachers from Catholic schools have collaborated on developing a program to support teachers and improve students’ learning outcomes in mathematics.
In a bid to support teachers and improve mathematics learning, the National Catholic Education Commission (NCEC) is developing a full year’s worth of curriculum resources for Years 7 and 8 mathematics aligned to the Australian Curriculum V 9.0 and Victorian Curriculum V 2.0 and the NSW Syllabus. The resources have been developed by teachers in Catholic schools but are available to all teachers in all sectors.
Working with Ochre Education, the Mastery in Mathematics (MiM) project is delivering high-quality, adaptable teaching resources to support teachers in mathematics instruction, intervention and assessment, which will promote more sustainable teacher workloads, and allow for more effective student engagement and personalised learning.
National Catholic education executive director Ms Jacinta Collins said the project is responding to the needs of school communities across Australia to better support teachers in program development and professional learning, and to improve students’ learning outcomes in mathematics.
“We know from Australia’s NAPLAN and PISA results, that students need greater support and intervention in mathematics, particularly in the early secondary years,” Ms Collins said.
“We also know that increasingly teachers are required to teach out of their subject field, so high-quality curriculum resources and professional learning in mathematics will greatly assist teachers in their lesson planning and responding to the needs of their students.”
“The ability to access and adapt a range of high-quality resources will also significantly support teachers to create more sustainable workloads and continue to build their capacity in teaching mathematics.”
Research from the Grattan Institute shows that the provision of high-quality curriculum resources for teachers creates more sustainable workloads allowing them to focus more on student engagement, where their time and energy have the greatest impact.
“The resources will help to relieve the planning load of many thousands of teachers creating materials in parallel and will be valuable to teachers at all stages of their careers, including early career and out-of-field teachers, with the latest data showing that 33 per cent of mathematics teachers are working out-of-field,” Ms Collins said.
When completed, the MiM project will have produced a comprehensive collection of more than 200 lessons and 850 resources, designed to support teachers in delivering impactful mathematics instruction. Already, the project has delivered curriculum maps, professional learning and curriculum resources for all units in Terms 1 and 2, with Term 3 to be delivered in May and Term 4 in August.
The lesson materials use evidence-based strategies recommended by the Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO), including elements of cognitive load theory, explicit instruction, mastery learning and problem solving. Materials are created to build concepts and understanding over time.
At the heart of the Mastery in Mathematics project is a collaborative effort involving around 40 expert secondary mathematics teachers from Catholic schools in South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales and the ACT. These teacher creators have contributed their expertise to deliver three key strands of work:
- Curriculum maps that provide a roadmap for schools’ planning, ensuring that the mathematics curriculum is aligned with educational standards and best practices.
- Adaptable classroom materials which are designed to be flexible and editable, allowing teachers to tailor them to meet the specific needs of their students and classrooms.
- Professional learning to support teachers in implementing the resources with rigour, ensuring that they can effectively integrate them into their teaching practice.
A key feature of the project is its commitment to equity and excellence in education. By providing sequenced, quality-assured materials, MiM ensures that all students have access to the resources they need to succeed. At the same time, recognising the importance of teacher autonomy, educators can tailor the curriculum to meet the unique needs of their students and classrooms.
Professional learning resources are designed to help teachers do just that. These resources include:
How-to-guides: Step-by-step guides to help teachers and school leaders navigate the curriculum and effectively implement the resources in their classrooms and schools.
Guides for professional learning communities: Resources designed to facilitate collaborative learning among teachers, allowing them to share best practices and support one another in implementing the curriculum.
On-demand videos: Covering key concepts and teaching strategies, the videos provide teachers with additional support and insights into effective teaching practices. Topics include curriculum planning, lesson resources, daily review, intervention support, using resources effectively and teaching MiM in the middle years. They also provide guidance on key topics and concepts including maths proficiencies, field axioms, proportional reasoning, fractions and algebraic thinking.
Webinars: Live and on-demand webinars cover a range of topics related to the curriculum and teaching mathematics, allowing teachers to engage with experts and deepen their understanding of the curriculum.
The project will be evaluated by the University of Notre Dame to assess the impact for teachers and student learning outcomes.
The NCEC’s commitment to excellence in education extends beyond mathematics. The commission is also researching early years literacy and has recently published a reading framework to support high-quality literacy instruction and assessment.
‘Cognitive foundations: Using a theoretical framework for evidence-based reading instruction and assessment’ offers an evidence-based framework for teaching and assessing reading. It is intended to serve as a valuable resource for teachers and school leaders, providing guidance to the schools in shaping their policy and practice.
“We recognise the pivotal role literacy plays in individual success and societal advancement,” Ms Collins said. “Educators understand, firsthand, the profound impact that literacy skills have on academic achievement, lifelong learning, post-school success and overall wellbeing.”
“As outlined in the paper, the evidence of what works best in teaching reading literacy is clear: Students need to be able to read words accurately and quickly, coupled with a broad and deep knowledge and facility with language.”
The paper provides an evidence-based, theoretical framework to support school communities in can be used as a reference to ensure that teaching and learning covers the knowledge and skills necessary for the development of proficient reading comprehension.
Catholic education is the largest provider of education in Australia outside of government, enrolling one in five, or 805,000 students and employing over 109,000 staff in 1,756 schools.
Mastery in Mathematics is available via the Ochre Education website www.ochre.org.au.
