• Duration
    15 weeks
  • Location
    Online
  • Mode
    Online
  • Fees
    Fully Subsidised

Enhance your team's ability to teach mathematics through evidence-based inquiry.

Leading Improvement in Mathematics Teaching unpacks the role of teacher leaders in mathematics and numeracy, and the most effective practices leading to improvement in student outcomes.

You will explore different approaches to collecting and analysing evidence that can then be used to develop evidence-based teaching practices for the classroom.

This online course is structured into 4 inquiry cycles. Each inquiry cycle involves attending a virtual workshop, trialling and critiquing various leadership practices and approaches, and reporting the outcomes on discussion boards. Leading Improvement in Mathematics Teaching is part of the Academy's Numeracy Suite.

Audience

Designed for Victorian government school teacher leaders (F-10) with a desire to develop their understanding of and capacity to lead teachers of mathematics and numeracy. Participants could include:

  • primary or secondary numeracy or mathematics leaders
  • professional learning community leaders
  • curriculum coordinators.

Facilitators

Facilitated by Julia Crawford and Fiona Smale from Cognition Education.

The estimated time commitment for this course is 3 hours per week during workshop weeks, and up to 2 hours per week during non-workshop weeks.

Over 15 weeks, you are expected to engage in and contribute to:

  • 5 virtual workshops
  • a weekly self-directed learning activity
  • a weekly school-based investigation task
  • a mathematics leadership project to be completed over the final 6 weeks of the course.

Additional support will be available through optional live discussion groups on non-workshop weeks. These are an opportunity for you to engage with your peers and facilitators in a more informal way, to support your learning.

Click on the ‘View dates and apply’ button for workshop dates and times.

Virtual workshops

You will participate in five x 2-hour virtual workshops.

Each workshop will focus on launching your learning for each of the 4 inquiry cycles. (Note: inquiry cycle 4 has 2 virtual workshops.)

Inquiry cycle 1: The role of middle leaders in mathematics and numeracy, different leadership styles and setting goals for improving mathematics learning

Inquiry cycle 2: Understanding the importance of developing trusting relationships with teachers and supporting colleagues

Inquiry cycle 3: Effective practices of numeracy and mathematics leaders, coaching through co-teaching, and collaborative practices

Inquiry cycle 4: Enacting a professional learning cycle.

Self-directed learning

Activities will include targeted professional readings, practice tasks and critical reflection prompts.

School-based investigations

Each week, you will complete a short practical activity in your school connected to the week’s learning. You will report back and discuss your findings from this investigation with your colleagues on the discussion boards.

Mathematics leadership project

To support your learning, you will capture and apply your insights from each inquiry cycle in a mathematics leadership project during inquiry cycle 4. You will present your project findings and participate in a feedback process to evaluate the outcomes and recommendations.

You'll gain knowledge and understanding of:

  • the role of numeracy and mathematics leaders
  • the practices of effective leaders of numeracy and mathematics
  • strategies for enhancing positive dispositions of teachers of mathematics and numeracy
  • strategies for supporting and enabling teacher agency through evidence-based inquiry.

You'll develop the skills to:

  • build trusting relationships with students and staff
  • prioritise evidence-based strategies for colleagues to use
  • demonstrate evidence-based teaching strategies
  • plan and implement professional dialogue within your school that is informed by current research and evidence-based practice to improve mathematics outcomes and dispositions of students
  • use pedagogical knowledge to coach and develop others
  • build high expectations of both students and staff.

Attendance requirements

In order to receive a Certificate of Completion for this course, you are required to:

  • attend at least 80% of the virtual workshops for the course
    (Note: Participation in at least 4 of the 5 workshops is required. These are to be attended on the scheduled day and time and cannot be reviewed in your own time in a catch-up capacity.)
  • complete at least 80% of the school-based investigation for each week
  • contribute to the discussion boards at least once per inquiry cycle
  • complete and submit a mathematics leadership project during inquiry cycle 4.

Leading Improvement in Mathematics Teaching is fully subsidised by the Department of Education for Victorian government school participants.

Last updated 23 August 2023