Victorian Deputy Premier and Minister for Education, Ben Carroll, has announced four Victorian Maths Ambassadors who he says will help nurture a love of maths in the next generation, along with the launch of a new Mathematics Position Statement for the state.
The Government has appointed Eleanor Drayton from Hume Central Secondary College, Emily Glen from Mount Pleasant Road Primary School, Patrick Kennedy from Our Lady Star of the Sea Ocean Grove and Stephanie Nitschke from Nazareth Catholic Primary School Grovedale as the first Victorian Maths Ambassadors.
Minister Carroll said the ambassadors were passionate about mathematics and exemplify excellence in mathematics teaching across primary and secondary levels.
“They will strengthen the connection between the education sector and students in mathematics, create strategies to connect students’ interests and learning styles with maths and equip families with tools and resources to support their child’s mathematics studies at home. The ambassadors will be in their roles from now until 2026,” he said.
“No matter where they live in Victoria, our young people have access to the best public education for free – giving them the best start in life.”
The Mathematics Position Statement describes how Victorian government schools will make best practice common practice, and embed evidence-based practices aligned with the updated Victorian Teaching and Learning Model (VTLM) 2.0 to support students to excel in mathematics.
Victorian students will be supported through a focus on getting the basics right first – knowing their times tables and excelling at the basic foundations to then apply this through problem solving, said Mr Carroll.
The statement is complemented by ready-to-use mathematics lesson plans, the first of which are now available to all schools. The lesson plans will strengthen students’ mathematics and numeracy outcomes by providing schools with high-quality materials to make best practice, common practice across Victorian government schools.
Further information about Victoria’s Maths Ambassadors can be found here: www.vic.gov.au/victorian-mathematics-ambassadors.
