Gifted and Talented

Gifted and Talented Maths / ICT program - Testimonial

On behalf of everyone in the Middle Years team…plus kids…just want to say that l have just read through your program content. It’s a brilliant plan that you have constructed. Very thorough and professional. The thought put into everything is “deep” …l particularly like the skills/indicators section and the connections to the Australian Curriculum.

In discussing the program with those involved throughout the week, it is clear that they have felt appreciation and for some even relief as they have had an opportunity to work in a select group of like ability kids, with challenging tasks. As you know, it can be quite challenging sometimes to offer these kids ongoing challenges while working with the other end of the spectrum, so having a quality program like yours has allowed this to be achieved in a strong manner. I’ve also been impressed with your ability to come into our environment and easily adopt our same values and high expectations, while I’ve noticed your program also uses a lot of our ‘middle years vocab’ – such as ‘Aim high’, ‘linking with others’, ‘reflect’, ‘analyse’, ‘teamwork.’

On behalf of the guys, thanks for what you have done and the expertise you bring. It’s been a brilliant program. Probably the best we have had and the kids have responded by producing excellent work samples. They also look forward to you coming each week and l’m sure that you have influenced and guided them well so that they will continue to perform to a high level in the future with maths, IT etc. Congratulations on an outstanding program.  We look forward to seeing the oral presentations in film.

Trent Cooper (Rutherglen Primary School)

Challenging Your Math Students

A 1 ½ hr PD opportunity for Maths Teachers of Years 5 – 8 focusing on the why and how of engaging and extending able students

WHEN: CONTACT TMELA (More information below) COST: $100 pp

As part of the PD receive your own copy of “Challenging Maths Tasks” CD,
(single licence) worth $85

PRESENTED BY: LINDA ANANIA – TMELA CONSULTING

Term 4, 2010, many ‘Challenging Your Maths Students’ PD’s were held in North East Victoria and Melbourne Suburbs.  Some feedback:

• Loved the tasks and the Rubric

• Hand-outs really valuable – loved the 7 steps

• Great being able to ask questions straight away

• Fantastic to have the opportunity to ‘play’ with the CD

• I like how flexible the software is to adapt tasks to our school topics / relevant areas

If your school wants some PD to become familiar with the new Australian Curriculum please contact TMELA: enquiries@tmela.com.au

Challenging Your Maths Participants at PD Session

Challenging Your Maths Students PD held at Mooroopna in August

IN 2010 CHALLENGING YOUR MATHS STUDENTS PD’S WERE HELD IN THE HUME REGION 

Some great feedback:
•	“Exactly the type of PD I was looking for”
•	“A great resource”
•	“ Some great tips to get the best from our students”

Developing Inquiring Minds
Catering for Enrichment and Extension in the Classroom

We work hard on ensuring our lower level students are well catered for, so surely our higher level students deserve to be catered for as well. How do we challenge the higher level students within our multiple ability classrooms? If just getting students to attain and maintain the levels that our curriculum expects is taking all your time and attention, then this PD will show you how you can enrich and extend the learning of your higher ability students and help them reach their potential without you having to spend a lot of time preparing something completely different.

The focus of this PD is to be able to recognize and develop methods and strategies to cater for multiple ability classrooms with particular focus on the higher achievers. Participants will take part in some sample lessons which will then be analysed in detail in order to identify the components that lead to developing an inquiring mind. Lesson plans will also be provided to illustrate how the scaffolding would look.

Discussion will revolve around the teacher’s role and will include:

• Planning
• goal setting
• strategies
• expectations
• scaffolding
• questioning
• providing choice
• and reflection

E-Maths CD

A program designed to link Gifted and Talented Maths students from many different classrooms and offer them engaging and challenging alternatives to their every-day Maths program, without the students being out of their classrooms for long periods of time.

E-Maths uses ICT as its vehicle and e-mail as its communication forum. It develops not only the Maths skills of the students involved but also the ICT Thinking, Communication, Design, Personal and Interpersonal Learning skills.

With an E-Teacher co-ordinating the program and providing feedback to students and teachers, it means that students receive timely and helpful individual feedback and teachers are kept well informed as to the progress of students from their classes.
Testmonials

On the E-Maths CD you will find:

*A Training Manual
*Teacher's Record Sheet
*Rubric
*Student Letter
*8 Challenges - in 2 sets of 4
*An Introductory Workshop Challenge
*Student Workshop Presentation
*Teacher PD Presentation
*Sample Student Evaluation
*Order Form

You can find additional support by visiting
E-Maths Teacher Support Group

An Example of a Challenge Page
Building Blocks - Shape and Design
Challenge Page is a sample activity page arranging coloured blocks to complete a design according to the instructions listed. Students are asked to complete their designs using computer tools of drawing, colour filling. arranging and grouping.

An Example of student response: Murray Valley Building Blocks
Murray Valley Building Blocks is a sample of E-Maths student work and results based on the Challenge Page of Building Blocks

Challenging Maths Tasks

The Challenging Maths Tasks are designed to extend Middle Years Mathematics Students. They are interactive and differentiated in nature. They expect students to apply the skills and knowledge learnt in the classroom to the new and different situations presented. In many cases students may need to ask further questions of themselves in order to be able to complete their investigations.

The tasks offer a huge variety of topics and mathematical concepts but all expect the student to work mathematically in order to be able to complete the tasks. Students are encouraged to present their responses by utilizing their computer skills. They should explain and justify each of their responses. (Can be used as e-maths tasks)

Responses will be judged on accuracy, clarity of explanation or justification; and complexity in regard to depth of investigation. Answers are provided where possible but due to the open ended nature of many of the questions, this cannot always be done.

Some sample answers or other assistance has been provided to help students if need be. An evaluation rubric has also been provided to both help direct students in what is expected and to assist the teacher. This resource can be used with the E-Maths program (©TMELA Education) but each one of the tasks provided on the CD is a stand-alone task and no particular order is required.

Curriculum Links are provided with the alphabetical index (main menu), and it is suggested that tasks be chosen to link with what others in the classroom are also studying at the time. All tasks provided on this CD promote the use of ICT and encourage students to use various computer applications to best present their work, but most tasks can also be simply printed off and worked on in pen and paper style if preferred.

See more information

(©2010 Linda Anania TMELA Education Australia)

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This page last updated 08 September 2010