Newly trained Facilitators

Hi to all newly trained Facilitators!  It has been exciting to train so many of you over the past few months.  This page has been designed especially for you, to put together some of the things that we went through in the training course.

Things to do:

• If you are on Facebook, like Maths Matters and remember to share what is going on in your school.  This is where facilitators and other teachers share ideas and where we make announcements about upcoming training and new resources.
• Check out the Free stuff and Workshop notes sections to download stuff to use with your staff.  You can also download some sample NAPLAN tests to break down with your staff from here.  These have a bunch of questions from across the different years.
• If you want to order any resources, remember that you will receive special discounts off some of most popular products for two months from the date of your training.  Download the facilitator order form here.
• Check out all of the Interventions resources, including downloading all of the diagnostic testing here.
• Contact us for further information or to organise training days with your schools.
• Download the article at this link and read the second chapter of this report on the “Big ideas in Number and the Australian Curriculum” by Dianne Siemon.  The report is 99 pages, but the chapter is significantly shorter and well worth the time to read.
• Download the 5 minute diagnostic tasks to use with your school.
• Download and read the article on Misconceptions to use with your staff.

Things to remember:

• The proficiency strands are the basis for the achievement strands and cannot be ignored.
• NAPLAN is a test of deep understanding and problem-solving, not fluency.
• Use scrap books and three-colour pens for easy assessment.
• A challenge table is a great way to increase flexibility and manage differentiation.
• Problems need to be adjusted so that they are unfamiliar for that child.
• Mess with them!  Ask it backwards.  Include a gap or a requirement.  Ask it weirdly.  Ask “what if I… is it still?” Look for robustness.
• Compliment the thinking rather than the answer.
• Closed questions are important for misconceptions – “is it bigger or smaller than?”
• Focus on the connections: “How are these kind of the same?”
• Teacher Lust: the desire of teachers to explain to children that which they could work out for themselves!

But most of all, just remember to try.  Ask a question.  Count to ten.  Then ask another question!  If you can’t get them there, check with BOB (back-of-book) and then work backwards.