Reflections: August, 2000

EDITORIAL

POINT OF VIEW

• Some words of caution about graphic calculators, Bill Pender

REFLECTIONS ON HIGHER SCHOOL CERTIFICATE

• Learning from their mistakes, HSC 1999, Robert Yen

REFLECTIONS ON GENERAL MATHEMATICS

• Maths in Society updated for the 21st century, Robert Yen
• Sent dotty by scatterplots? Bivariate data and what to do with it in General Mathematics, Mary Coupland and Narelle Smith
• General Mathematics assessment tasks, Judy Anderson

REFLECTIONS ON TECHNOLOGY

• Animated graphs using spreadsheets, Tony van Ravenstein
• Spreadsheet activities, Anne Hastings
• How to make a maths web page, Matt Bower

REFLECTIONS ON TEACHING AND LEARNING MATHEMATICS

• Dry rot fractions, Allan White
• Teaching maths in themes: Is that easy?, Boris Handal

THE MATHS EXCHANGE

• Expansions and factorizations tile puzzle, Hans Stroeve
• Year 10 non-calculator test, Penny Pachos
• Years 9&endash;10 maths crossword, Robert Yen
• History of the calendar, Robert Yen
• Homebush Bay, Sarah Hamper

Editorial

An adaptation of a paper presented by Bill Pender at the Graphics Calculator Conference organised by the Australian Association of Mathematics Teachers (AAMT) has been included in this issue as a Point of View. This paper is reprinted with permission as it was originally published in the conference proceedings: Morony, W. and Stephens, M. (2000). Students, Mathematics and Graphics Calculators into the New Millennium. AAMT, Adelaide, South Australia.

Pender clearly holds strong views about the appropriate use of graphic calculators in classrooms and for assessment purposes. Since the AAMT conference in March, 2000, a decision has been made by the Board of Studies to allow students to use these calculators in the General Mathematics Higher School Certificate Examination to commence in 2001. We would like to encourage teachers to respond to this point of view, to react to the Board's decision, or to share their views about the implications of this decision. In particular, how might this decision affect what teachers do in classrooms? How will the regular use of graphic calculators affect the teaching and learning of mathematics? Should teachers allow their use in school assessment? How can we better prepare our students for this examination?

The General Mathematics course has presented teachers with many challenges. Robert Yen reflects on this new course and the implications for students who previously studied Mathematics in Society and Mathematics in Practice. We are interested to know how your students are coping with the demands of the course and also how you are using new technologies to support their learning. In their paper, Coupland and Smith provide useful advice about the teaching of bivariate data in General Mathematics. In this issue we also present samples of assessment tasks and we would encourage teachers to send in others for publication.

Other papers in this issue focus on students' errors in Higher School Certificate examinations, the use of other technologies, and particular aspects of teaching and learning. Yen presents an update of his advice to prospective HSC students with his 'top ten tips' for maximizing examination performance. Van Ravenstein explores animated graphs using spreadsheets, while Hastings has compiled a very useful collection of spreadsheet activities that are suitable for use with a range of secondary students. Setting up your own web page can be accomplished with the advice and guidance presented by Bower. Teaching of fractions can be made more interesting for students with White's cartoons, and Handal reflects on the use of a thematic approach to teaching mathematics.

The cover of this issue features photographs taken at a variety of settings including SCEGGS, Darlinghurst, Mount St Joseph Milperra and the MANSW presentation of awards at Project: Mathematics.

Judy Anderson and Robert Yen