MathFest 2022

MathFest 2022 is rapidly coming to an end.  It's been quite a ride.  My feet are hurting, my voice is gone, I might need some time to recuperate over the weekend.  But.. has it been a success?  I'll know for sure after surveys are in.

Initial signs are good.  Four schools, sixty Methods students, anecdotal student responses is that they have loved it, even though it is five days during the holidays, in 40C heat with evap airconditioning, no internet due to a network upgrade, surrounded by building works, presenters dropping like flies due to covid fears, zero budget; yet there has been no student dropoff in attendance during the week.  Developing together a concept aimed to increase engagement, retention and achievement of high level mathematics students in the northern corridor has had its challenges. 

Comments like "this is awesome" and "thank you sir for this" from students mean a lot.  Teachers commenting that students will "remember this" and "we'll be back next year with more" confirm that the idea is sound.

The volunteers that presented for the week are the pinnacle of what teaching is.  People giving up their time, for highly engaged kids.  No sign of the entitled youth we encounter during the year, engagement hasn't been extinguished through explicit instruction.  We're doing it like it should be done.

Two 'big ideas' came out of MathFest 2022, "infotainment" and "unstruction".  Infotainment was a mode of delivery that allowed presenters to ignore syllabus requirements during MathFest and travel with the interests of students.  This freed presenters from assessment/course outlines and allowed them to flavour the course with topics, questions and interest areas such as historical elements, associated mathematics, delving deeper into key concepts than time would usually allow.  Unstruction was freedom to work with students to enjoy learning rather than be instructed explicitly from a syllabus led schedule that needs to be taught.  

Delving into the meta of learning helped students see the difference in learning vs instruction and empowered students to adapt and develop agility to shift thinking, rather than be fixed in their expectation (and engage in the blame game), when teaching style does not align directly with a student. 

Presenters have been subject to getting WWC, vaccination records, medical issues, childcare for their own children, caring for sick family members, competing demands at the start of the school year, broken cars, covid fears, without funding for resources we take for granted during term.  All with a smile.

Teachers have been designing investigations together, doing them with students, discussing resources, pedagogy, impediments to success, finding things that work.

We need to think beyond chalk and talk if we want to engage this generation and define what teaching needs to be.  We need to embrace our responsibility that teaching goes beyond subject knowledge and into the realms of values education and what was parenting.  We need to think laterally beyond the 40 week term.

The themes of consolidation, concept investigation and self development have permeated through the sessions.  Community involvement through past students, volunteer teachers from across Perth, the local Duncraig Lions club volunteering time and resources, Curtin University involvement all have provided the example required to get students to think beyond themselves and know that they are valued and belong.  

Students now have a responsibility to not only believe in themselves, achieve but also to inspire younger students, their teachers and the local community.  They will do great things.

It's nice to be a part of it.