AAMT International Activities
2024 Study Tour to North America
AAMT’s latest international activity is an upcoming study tour to North America in September/October 2024. The study tour will coincide with the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) annual conference in Chicago. It will bring together maths teachers, leaders and researchers from across Australia in a unique professional development experience.
The conference in Chicago will allow delegates to hear from some leading global experts in mathematics education. School visits in the US and Canada will provide truly international insights into the maths education landscape, providing opportunities to:
- Explore innovative teaching methodologies and develop pedagogical practice
- Enhance cross-cultural understanding and appreciation of diverse educational systems
- Foster collaboration, knowledge-sharing and professional networking
- Cultivate a global perspective on educational challenges and opportunities
- Build mathematics education leadership skills
If you are interested in finding out more, please contact AAMT’s Education Specialist at dhalliday@aamt.edu.au.
Digital Exchange
AAMT has been working with Shanghai Normal University to organise collaborative remote teaching in a digital exchange. For example, in one digital lesson, an expert teacher from a school in Shanghai used a video-conferencing platform to connect to a class of students in Australia. The teacher was able to lead the lesson (on the subject of probability) for the class. The local teacher had a supporting role in managing the organisation of the class and ensuring the students were able to follow instructions and participate.
In the digital exchange lesson the students were organised into groups. Each group had a device, enabling them to interact with the teacher, for example asking and responding to questions. The lesson demonstrated the ‘mastery’ approach to teaching that is commonly used in Shanghai.
The lesson was observed by a number of teaching experts —by videoconference. A subsequent videoconference discussion allowed the teachers and observers to discuss the various aspects of the lesson.
In a variation of collaborative remote teaching, teachers in Australia and Japan made a video recording of their lessons. The video recordings were made available to other teachers for observation and follow up discussion in an interactive webinar session.
A key purpose of the trial is to evaluate whether the video conferencing technology can be easily deployed in a classroom setting to facilitate collaborations between students in different schools to enhance maths learning and collaboration skills.
Student Collaboration
As a next step in its international programs, AAMT is exploring opportunities for students to collaborate in a maths lesson, again using videoconference technology.
A class of students in Australia is partnered with a class of students from overseas. These may be regular classes with their teachers, or the collaborative lesson may be organised as an extra-curricular activity.
A key aspect of this format of lesson is the requirement to organise students in both classes into groups, each with a laptop computer or other device. This will allow each group to participate in a breakout room with a corresponding group in the other class. The breakout room is used for group-to-group discussions.
The objectives of this model of lesson are to:
- provide students with the opportunity to find out information about their peers from another country
- interact appropriately with unfamiliar students from a different country
- learn and practice some maths skills
- apply their maths skills in a collaborative way with their overseas peers
- benefit from different teaching methodologies and an interesting learning environment
A key purpose of the trial is to evaluate whether the video conferencing technology can be easily deployed in a classroom setting to facilitate collaborations between students in different schools to enhance maths learning and collaboration skills.
Exchange Countries
AAMT organises exchange programs with a number of countries. These programs provide opportunities for maths teachers to share their expertise and experience with colleagues overseas.
AAMT currently offers programs with the following partners.
Singapore
AAMT works with the Mathematics Education Faculty at the National Institute of Education, the Academy of Singapore Teachers and a network of local schools to provide a rich program of professional learning for Australian maths teachers. The program includes placements in local schools where visiting teachers can work alongside their peers in Singaporean schools to gain a first-hand experience of how teaching maths in Singapore works in practice.
This program has proved to be popular among both Australian and Singaporean maths teachers as they have complementary pedagogical approaches to maths education in schools.
Future programs will be advertised here.
China
AAMT works with the Research Institute for International and Comparative Education at Shanghai Normal University to facilitate exchange between maths teachers in Australia and China. Whereas maths teaching in China has a strong focus on the technical aspects and depth of understanding, pedagogical approaches in Australia focus on inquiry-based learning and collaborations between students. These are also complementary methods and lend themselves to fruitful exchange and professional learning between teachers.
Colleagues in China are very experienced in collaborative professional exchange programs for teachers through their work in other countries such as the UK. They have master teachers who are experienced in conducting professional learning programs, which are delivered in English.
AAMT has previously offered study tours to China. Upcoming programs will be advertised when available.
England
AAMT has links to the National Centre for Excellence in Teaching Mathematics (NCETM) and the Mathematics Education Innovation Centre in the UK. These links include established connections with a number of Maths Hubs that belong to the NCETM’s Hub network.
AAMT has facilitated the placement of a number of Australian teachers with Maths Hubs in England. For these placements, teachers can visit the Hub for a 2 to 3 week placement at a mutually agreeable time. The visit will include placements in Hub schools and participation in any NCETM professional development events.
When travel permits, maths teachers in Australia can contact AAMT to register their interest in visiting a Maths Hub in the UK.
Other exchange programs will be advertised as they become available.
