The Minister for Education, Training and Skills, Blair Boyer, and the Chief Executive of the Department for Education, Professor Martin Westwell, made the announcement of the new strategies to improve mathematics education at Roma Mitchell Secondary College today.
A new, improved mathematics curriculum will rollout in South Australian public schools from Term 1 next year. The government has prioritised implementing mathematics first, as part of the new Australian Curriculum, in order to give students the knowledge and skills needed for projects such as AUKUS.
The new curriculum is being developed by teachers in consultation with maths experts and teachers will have access to resources and professional learning opportunities to implement the new curriculum.
The Malinauskas Labor Government’s election commitment to develop new financial literacy resources to schools will also be rolled out from Term 1 next year, giving a greater focus on financial literacy education in the curriculum. The department has formed an expert panel with membership including:
- Dr Carly Sawatzki – a teacher educator and educational researcher of mathematics at Deakin University, who examines real-world economic and financial contexts.
- Dr Phil Lambert PSM – a former Executive Director for the NSW Department of Education and former chair of the Australian Securities and Investment Commission’s expert group on the financial wellbeing of young people.
The financial literacy curriculum will include providing students with the skills to understand budgeting, make sound financial decisions, identify scams and understand consumer rights – critical knowledge and skills for everyday life. This follows on from the government’s commitment to ban banks in public schools, which came into effect at the beginning of 2023.
The department is also delivering a range of other new initiatives to improve mathematics education in schools, including:
- Piloting a numeracy assessment tool in public schools – Maths Assessment Interview will be piloted in 50 schools next year, which involves one-on-one interviews for students to demonstrate their mathematical understanding and preferred strategies for solving complex tasks.
- An international mathematics project – 11 high schools, including Roma Mitchell Secondary College, are implementing a new, internationally designed mathematics curriculum for Year 10 students in partnership with the Centre for Curriculum Redesign at Harvard University and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Mathematics teachers involved come from South Australia, Massachusetts, British Columbia, and Victoria.
- An annual Numeracy Summit – held for the first time earlier this year, with over 1,000 school leaders and mathematics coordinators brought together to hear from numeracy and maths experts from around the world and improve teaching in schools. The summit will be held again in 2024.
As put by Minister for Education, Training and Skills Blair Boyer
Now more than ever before, improving maths education in our schools is critical to meet the skills needs of our State – that’s why the Malinauskas Labor Government is making maths our top priority for improvement in schools.
Inspiring an interest in maths early is vital for students to continue down that path in sectors such as engineering, robotics and cyber security – and it’s important we’re providing our students with the best opportunity to enter into emerging career paths.
Improving maths doesn’t happen overnight, but we’re putting the foundations in place now to make the long-time improvements needed for the future.
We promised that we would ban banks in schools, and we have. We are rolling out new, improved financial literacy education from the start of next year so students leave school with this vital knowledge and skills.
As put by Department for Education Chief Executive Professor Martin Westwell
Improving the numeracy and mathematics skills of South Australian students is a priority of the department as proficiency in these areas is a strong predictor of positive outcomes for young people.
The introduction of new South Australian-specific curriculum, in consultation with teachers and experts, will help teachers draw on new strategies to improve numeracy and mathematics outcomes, as well as developing proficiency in other key learning areas.
The mathematics and numeracy children and young people develop at school needs to support their future learning, work and life.
Our approach uses a strong evidence base to make sure South Australians can be effective in learning and using mathematics. Supporting learners to use mathematics purposefully and proficiently across all learning areas and in their day-to-day life will help them navigate the world more confidentially.
As put by Roma Mitchell Secondary College Principal Toni Carellas
We are very proud of the significant outcomes Roma Mitchell Secondary College has in the field of mathematics in both the SACE and the IB Diploma programs.
Our students across the girls’ Campus and the Co-Educational Campus embrace mathematics at all year levels which recognises the school’s commitment to engaging and innovative teaching approaches.
The new SA-developed curriculum will be a helpful resource for our teachers and we are excited about introducing the new content to students.
