Mathematics Department School Activities

Viliami Latu and Gary Nathan are pioneering a program of going out to schools in the Auckland district to encourage both disadvantaged and gifted students to engage their full potentialities in seeking and succeeding at a mathematical education.

Mathematics Department Summer School Scholarships
Talent Revealed: Students who might otherwise never have gone to University are being encouraged to do so through a Mathematics Department Summer School Scholarship.

Academic Staff on occasion agree to go out on school visits on request to give talks on mathematically interesting subjects to encourage interest in making mathematics an integral part of a university degree. Teachers wanting to inquire should e-mail Chris King.

Chris King is in the process of compiling footage on the more interesting work of selected staff and graduate students with a view to producing a video program for schools onwhy we find mathematics exciting in the third millennium.

Mathematics Education Unit Schools Activities
The Mathematics Education Unit has a wide variety of activities encouraging mathematical education in schools. These are listed below.

MEU Contacts: For further information please contact one of the people below:

MEP (Mathematics Enhancement programme). A 5-year programme to enhance participation and achievement in senior classes of Auckland decile 1 & 2 secondary schools. We gratefully acknowledge the support of Texas Instruments for this programme.

Bursary enhancement with MEP. Group tutoring programme for the students of the MEP schools. Holiday classes in both Bursary Mathematics with Statistics and Bursary Mathematics with Calculus.

University representative on the Auckland Mathematics Association (AMA) executive. At least one member of the MEU helps in the running of the Auckland Mathematics Association activities. Sharing knowledge and making connections between secondary and tertiary mathematics.
Assisting in secondary teacher professional development.

Primary Maths Association (PMA) executive. This organization runs professional development sessions in mathematics for primary teachers.

Maths Olympiad. Gifted children are identified and given opportunities to develop their potential towards the NZ Olympiad team. We gratefully acknowledge the support of ASB Trust.

MAX course. Math 153 specialist course for Year 13 students developed with a view to electronic distance teaching (funded by a grant from VC's Development Fund)

Maths Trail. A Maths trail has been prepared for classes of school students, parents, and others. It covers areas of the university city campus and Albert park.

NCEA level 3 calculus professional development workshop for teachers, with the use of CAS calculators.

Research on 'the understanding of differentiation concepts using CAS and non-CAS'

Developing students' statistical thinking in a secondary school. Visiting a school and analysing student progress.

Cross-sectional research on students understanding of the equals sign.

Moderating exam papers for two foundation colleges. These colleges have students sitting exams in June, so they can enter the university for the second semester. These exams must be moderated to ensure the standard and university entry requirements are satisfied.

Writing Scholarship achievement standard exam papers for NZQA.

Selling Maths and Statistics to schools in the Auckland and West Auckland areas.

New Zealand Maths Magazine editor.

Evaluation of the National Numeracy project yrs 7 ­ 10. This is the third year for which this project has been evaluated. Evaluations have included data from some 13,600 students from throughout the country, and interviews with teachers in several schools.

Address to HOD Maths day on Numeracy Project. Reporting on the evaluation of the Numeracy Project for Years 9 and 10.

Address to HOD Maths day on the Maths Enhancement Project. Reporting to teachers on the Maths Enhancement Project which encourages participation and retention of students in mathematics.

Workshop at HOD Maths day on Probability. Professional Development for teachers of Statistics.

Consortium of primary schools in South Auckland. This contact provides professional development and offers research opportunities.

Research of secondary schools participation in a new project that has students taking unit standards in year 9 (South and West Auckland).

Maths teacher fellowship. One mathematics teacher each year is offered a teacher fellowship which involves them teaching a stage one mathematics paper, studying Mathematics Education, and being part of the Maths Education Unit at the university for one year.

Hosts for Royal Society Fellowships researching topics in Mathematics.

Liaison with HODs and associates in schools throughout school placements of secondary diploma student teachers.

Referee discussions with principals regarding employment of secondary diploma student teachers.

Visits to schools (four per student teacher) in the course of the secondary teachers' diploma year

In-service professional development - in June of the first year for recent graduates; in November for all ex-students of diploma course.

Professional Development for secondary teachers of Mathematics in the use of graphics calculators.

Facilitator for teacher discussion groups, on the integration of graphics calculators within the Bursary calculus classroom.

NZAMT (The New Zealand Association of Mathematics Teachers). Major benefactor of NZAMT in its crucial early years. Convened and hosted the 1995 NZAMT at the Aotea Centre with 3000 delegates. Workshop organiser for NZAMT conference in Palmerston North. Wrote and published urgently needed textbooks for 6th and 7th form which were distributed through NZAMT, and all profits went to NZAMT.