The Mathematical Association of Western Australia

📣 Goldfields Teachers — Final Registration Call

In just a few days, registrations will close for the MAWA Goldfields Mathematics Conference.

We've worked hard to bring this event to the region because Goldfields educators deserve access to high-quality professional learning close to home.

If you've been meaning to register, please don't leave it until it's too late.

Join us for a day of practical ideas, rich mathematical thinking, collaboration, and conversations that will support your teaching throughout the year.

This is more than a conference, it's a chance to strengthen the mathematics community across the Goldfields.

🎟️ Final registrations now open. https://mawainc.org.au/2026-goldfields-maths-conference/

See you in Kalgoorlie.


Sheila Griffin Maths
Numero
Scholastic
Casio Education Australia
Boulder Primary School

This week our facebook posts are about maths, home and families, which of course starts in the very early years. But, early mathematical thinking is about much more than learning to count.

Research increasingly highlights the importance of not just early number sense, but also spatial reasoning, pattern recognition and mathematical language in supporting later learning. Many of these ideas can be developed through playful experiences and everyday interactions at home.

If you teach in a primary setting, many of your families will also contain younger children and sharing these ideas might help build more mathematically confident and comfortable families that support all learners.

Some resources on building early maths skills at home:
🔗 Number sense (Australian Government) https://www.learningpotential.gov.au/articles/early-maths-skills-1-number-sense
🔗 Spatial sense (Australian Government)
https://www.learningpotential.gov.au/articles/early-maths-skills-2-spatial-sense
🔗 Early Number (WA Department of Education)
https://www.education.wa.edu.au/dl/2l4gpv
🔗 Everyday maths (Victorian Department of Education) https://arc.educationapps.vic.gov.au/learning/resource/1de5f877-104c-4f4f-b18a-73c698a2f233/everyday-maths---around-the-house - Around the House is one video that forms part of a series that also includes ‘At the supermarket’ and ‘Outdoors’.

These kinds of early mathematical experiences can help young children develop confidence, curiosity and positive dispositions towards mathematics from the very beginning.

As part of our ongoing commitment to strengthening teaching and learning, our staff are currently engaged in a professional inquiry process in Mathematics. This professional learning cycle begins with collaborative discussions, classroom walkthroughs and team reflection centred around effective mathematics pedagogy and student learning.

Throughout this process, teachers explore different aspects of our St Paul’s pedagogical approach, including:

• Mathematical talk and purposeful discussion
• Reasoning and justification
• Explicit teaching alongside inquiry and exploration
• Student ownership and engagement
• Multiple strategies and representations
• Responsive differentiation and professional judgement
• Developing conceptual understanding alongside procedural fluency
• Building confident, capable and resilient mathematicians

An important part of this work is recognising that effective mathematics teaching can look different in every classroom, while still reflecting the high performing pedagogical practices we value at St Paul’s. We believe students learn best when they are actively engaged in thinking, discussing, explaining, questioning and making meaningful connections within their learning.

At St Paul’s, we value professional expertise and support teachers in making responsive decisions based on their students' needs, while remaining connected through a shared pedagogical vision and a commitment to continual improvement.

Teachers will continue trialling, reflecting on and refining practices within their own classrooms before sharing observations and impact with colleagues in Term 3 as part of our Professional Learning Community process.

We are proud of the collaborative culture across our school and the ongoing commitment of staff to continually strengthen every student’s confidence, engagement and love of learning in Mathematics.

We’re pleased to announce our Regional Conferences Facebook group!

If you’re planning to attend or have already registered for the 2026 Goldfields Regional Maths Conference or the 2026 Coral Coast Regional Maths Conference, this group is for you.

Join the group to connect with sponsors and presenters, network with fellow attendees and stay up to date with conference news and announcements.

Click below to join and start networking!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/mawaregionalconferences

💡 If you’ve found something that is making a difference in mathematics learning — we’d love to hear from you.

The MAWA Annual Conference is a space for educators to share practical ideas, real classroom experiences, and approaches that are helping students succeed.

Maybe you’ve:
✨ improved engagement in mathematics
✨ built stronger mathematical discussions
✨ implemented a successful intervention program
✨ made modelling or problem solving more accessible
✨ trialled technology or AI in meaningful ways
✨ helped struggling students reconnect with maths
✨ led improvement across your school or team

You do not need to have all the answers. You just need a story, strategy, or experience worth sharing.

The best conference sessions are often the ones grounded in authentic classroom practice — the ideas teachers can take away and use immediately.

Join us in shaping the conversation at the 2026 MAWA Annual Conference: Strong Foundations, Bold Futures.

🔗 Submit your expression of interest at https://buff.ly/OV8JSPz

Always a fascinating read, take a look.

📸 Did you know? Every edition of Common Denominator includes practical teaching ideas and rich investigations based on a picture stimulus.

In the Term 2 edition, the stimulus prompts are written by Jessica Kurzman, Mathematics Leader at St Patrick’s Primary School, offering inspiring starting points for meaningful mathematical thinking and discussion.

Be sure to check out your Common Denominator magazine — or download a complimentary copy here:
👉 https://www.mav.vic.edu.au/Services-and-News/Common-Denominator-Magazine

A fantastic resource to spark curiosity, reasoning, and classroom conversations in mathematics!

One of the most effective ways to change the profile of mathematics for the better is to promote great ideas for families to engage with.

This week on our page we’re exploring an important idea - that families are critical partners in developing children’s mathematical thinking.

The Victorian Department of Education resource 'Engaging Families in Mathematics Education' highlights four important conditions that help strengthen home engagement in maths:
▪ Authentic two-way communication with families
▪ Respectful relationships that value families’ knowledge and expertise
▪ Encouraging positive attitudes to mathematics at home
▪ Demystifying mathematics
🔗https://www.education.vic.gov.au/Documents/school/teachers/teachingresources/discipline/maths/MTT_Engaging_Families_in_Mathematics_Education.pdf

There’s lots to unpack in the paper including a range of actions recommended for teachers and schools, from seeking and valuing families’ opinions and expertise to supporting and encouraging families to talk about maths at home. Importantly, the paper reminds us that an effective partnership is not about turning parents into teachers. Rather, mathematical thinking often develops through the everyday interactions families already engage in - counting, comparing, estimating, measuring, cooking, shopping, playing games or noticing patterns together.

There are a range of great resources available that illustrate this idea and that are perfect for sharing with families. The NSW Department of Education’s Everyday Maths resources provide practical ideas showing how families can build on commonplace mathematical interactions, whether in baking, bath or beach time or in exploring mind-reading, money or monopoly!
🔗 https://education.nsw.gov.au/teaching-and-learning/curriculum/mathematics/everyday-maths

We’ll keep building on these ideas over the week, focusing on how teachers can help create these positive attitudes and make maths visible.