Hi, I'm Michaela.
I'm a maths educator with a commitment to sharing simple & effective teaching strategies for getting students thinking in maths.
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Over the past 15 years, I've taught in rural and urban schools, and worked with primary and secondary teachers, school leaders, government, ed-tech start-ups and non-profits across Australia and internationally.
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What I believe
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Maths is fun, challenging and satisfying. Learning maths requires patience, persistence and careful thinking.
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Success in learning mathematics means feeling competent about your own capabilities and curious to learn more.
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Most students have the capacity to learn complex ideas - helping them to access and make sense of that complexity is our challenge as educators.
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School is one part of a student's learning journey and should provide the starting point for a desire to learn more
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When we care about education, we develop strong opinions about what it should look like.
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Being skeptical of ideas we're presented with, including our own opinions, opens up conversation and helps us to see the world in different ways.
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What I do
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After searching for ways to make professional learning more meaningful, in 2020, I founded Maths Teacher Circles in Australia. MTCs bring primary and secondary teachers together to actively do maths and talk teaching on a regular basis. MTCs are designed to support teachers to get excited again about teaching maths. To date, over 1,000 teachers from across Australia and overseas have attended MTC sessions.
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In addition, I work with schools, school systems and organisations on initiatives that support primary teachers, secondary teachers, graduate teachers, out-of-field teachers, maths leaders and specialist teachers to create meaningful and sustainable change in maths.
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More broadly, I'm currently diving into and working with educators on these questions:
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What's needed for students to leave school feeling curious and competent in maths?
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How can we help students to better understand and remember what they learn?
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How can we help students to become independent, strategic and reflective problem solvers?
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How can teachers build their own content knowledge and confidence for teaching maths?
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Outside of my work, I enjoy watching my young daughter learn and grow, playing competitive dominoes, learning about statistics and philosophy and going hiking.
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This is what I've done
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In recent years, I have focused on maths education from different perspectives. To this end, I have:
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Designed and run professional development programs and worked closely with over 5,000 teachers globally
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Served as President of the Mathematical Association of Victoria
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Served on the boards of the Australian Association of Mathematics Teachers, the Mathematical Association of Victoria and the Australian committee of the International Mathematical Modelling Challenge
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Had original problems and puzzles published in a range of publications and on commission for organisations, such as Felstead Education
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Taught mathematics and led teaching teams at schools in rural and urban areas
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Designed and implemented specialised mathematics programs to support and extend students
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Led a team of learning and instructional designers, responsible for producing maths content for over 55,000 students
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Spoken internationally at conferences, researched and written about curriculum, pedagogy, effective teaching practices and cognitive development
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Reviewed papers for the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia and for the Australian Council for Educational Research's Excellence in Professional Practice Conference
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I've also been featured on podcasts, including Maths Talk by AMSI Schools, the Fizzics Ed Podcast, Ignite EdTech Podcast and Toddcast Teacher Podcast.
Past clients and partners include:
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Camberwell Girls' Grammar
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Carey Baptist Grammar
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Heathmont College
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Hoppers Crossing Secondary College
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Primary Maths & Science Specialist Program, Department of Education
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Central Highlands Area Schools, Department of Education
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BioLab, the Victorian BioScience Education Centre
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EdPartnerships International
- Math4Love
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Monterey Secondary College
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Pivot Professional Learning
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Stile Education
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The Department of Education and Training Victoria
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The Mathematical Association of Victoria
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The Meet Pi Maths Festival
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The Pavilion School
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The Tutor Network
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Urbis Consulting
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Wimmera South West Area Schools, Department of Education