Mathematics in lockdown: Have you seen this?!

If you aren’t already on Twitter, then do it! I know it seems like just another social media account you’ll feel compelled to check, but it’s worth it! Particularly when wonderful teachers like Michael Minas (@mminas8) share their ideas. Michael is sharing pretty much daily mathematics games to play (they are great whether you are the parent, the teacher, or both). This one from last week – Multiple mysteries is my new absolute fav.

I think I’ve shared this web application site before mathlearningcentre, but it’s great for visual manipulatives to use during online learning. I’ve been using it with my pre-service teachers both last year and this year during lockdown. The app provides a number of apps (which you can download onto iPads) that focus on several key mathematical tools we usually use with physical objects such as: number frames, geoboards, MAB place value blocks, number lines, and pattern shapes to name a few! Just be mindful that it’s an America site so the money app is not relevant for Australian contexts.

When looking for great mathematics sites and ideas, time is usually a factor, and it’s easy to get lost or go down a search-spiral and find nothing! Fiona Foley (@Fiona_Foley) the primary mathematics consultant from MANSW shared a great collaborative, interactive doc curated by Beatris Mata (@beatris_mata) that is a great go-to first pit-stop for teachers. This doc includes nearly every site I usually recommend and them some! I highly recommend you check it out!

Whether you are working in a NSW department of Education school or not, they have some amazing lessons for Kindergarten (Foundation) through to Grade 6 that focus on thinking mathematically. Some lessons are original and feat. the wonderful Michelle Tregoning (@TregoningMich) in the videos, and some are shared with permission from other great project/sites like – ReSolve: Maths by Inquiry and nrich. If you haven’t seen any of these thinking mathematically tasks and lesson sequences for learning from home, go now and download them! They are ready to use straight away and have a focus grounded on working and thinking like mathematicians.

You might also like to access the videos and sessions like the ones that ABC Education (@ABCEducationAU) have on offer during lockdown. The schedule coming up has a focus on mathematics and science in line with Science Week. ABC have developed mini lessons as well, awesome to see Easter Carmeli, a colleague I used to work with at the department on one of these! You can also still access their Behind the News (BTN) show. The NSW Department of Education also have some great videos / live sessions (Education Live) with different experts throughout the week at 10 am each morning.

There are a number of great TV shows too that have a mathematics element to them. These are great to set for young students as flipped classroom tasks – watch before the lesson, or before you provide work on the same concept. Alternately you can watch them together online. Many people may already be familiar with shows like Number Jacks, Number Blocks, and Peg + Cat, there is also a nice new one that the Victorian Ed department have on their site called Mathscots as part of their learning from home support website both of which are worth a look.