K-10 National Mathematics Curriculum Implementation: Implications for Research and Teacher Education
Merrilyn Goos & Robyn Jorgensen & Christelle Plummer & Glenys Reid & Peter Sullivan & Gaye Williams &The session started will start a few minutes’ reflection from panel members about issues associated with the implementation of the K-10 National Curriculum. This will be followed by input of ideas from participants. Gaye Williams will highlight aspects of MERGA Feedback on the Draft K-10 National Curriculum as they become pertinent to the conversations arising. The purpose of the session is to raise awareness of issues associated with National Curriculum implementation, and invite contributions from participants about future directions for research and teacher education in the light of this.

Magnifying Misalignment of Student Data Across a Range of Assessment Tools to Inform Future Learning Goals
Marie Hirst & Anuja Singh
The round table discussion will begin by presenting the findings from a small study investigating possible misalignment of student data from three different assessment tools. It will also look at how any misalignments impact on making overall teacher judgements about student achievement. The three tools used in this case study were AsTTle (Assessment Tool for Teaching and Learning), GloSS (Global Strategy Stage Assessment) and IKAN (Knowledge Assessment for Numeracy) some of which are widely used across New Zealand schools. With the introduction of National Standards in New Zealand, teachers will become more accountable when making overall teacher judgements (OTJ). An essential aspect of OTJ is that teachers effectively select, use and analyse different assessment tools such as those mentioned above. The small study focuses on helping teachers understand the misalignments within the assessment tools thus helping teachers to use data effectively in order to set clear learning goals. In the Round Table we hope to stimulate discussion with Australian, New Zealand and other international colleagues about: ·           How do other countries address misalignments of various assessment tools? ·           Challenges when selecting appropriate assessment tools. ·           Feedback and advice on how to extend this small case study further by formulating a research question. ·           How to best utilise overall teacher judgement with a range of assessment tools?

Make it Count: An Evidence Base to support Numeracy, Mathematics and Indigenous Learners
Will Morony & Caty MorrisMake it count: Numeracy, mathematics and Indigenous learners is a national, four year project that is developing whole school, evidence based, sustainable practices to enhance Indigenous students’ learning. Community engagement is key to the project’s success and various communities of practice are being built to support the work of the project. Eight clusters of schools across Australia are working together to build their evidence base so teachers will know whether they are doing things better or not; so they have certainty around what they believe, and clarity about why things have worked (or not). Contributing to this is the emerging role of the clusters ·          Critical Friends’ ·          mathematics and/or Indigenous education academics ·          who are working in collaboration with the schools in their particular focus. Adding to the evidence base is the overall project evaluation which includes both quantitative and qualitative longitudinal data about change. The project staff is also identifying direct and indirect evidence. Our challenge is to provide an evidence base of “stuff” that works. How do we marshall the different layers of this “stuff” into the evidence base and, at the same time, evolve the various roles of those contributing? Do we need something more? The aim of this round table presentation is to open up discussions about participants’ experiences and knowledge that can maximise the evidence base from a layered, school-based project like this and to inform the work of the project with new thinking, learning and knowledge.

Online Professional Development for Mathematics Teachers
Brooke Evans & Patricia McKenna & Don Gilmore & James LoatsUsing collaborative problem solving to develop a “learning community” among mathematics teachers is an established approach to professional development within the field (Lachance & Confrey, 2003; Ryve, 2007). However, the question of whether an online environment adequately facilitates the development of a learning community among teacher-learners remains unanswered (Kim & Bonk, 2006). Any answer to that question will be partial and temporary for two reasons. First, teacher-educators can currently choose from an array of web-based conferencing software of variable quality and capabilities. Second, the rapid pace of innovation of educational technology creates both opportunities and challenges for teacher educators: what some technologies constrain today, other technologies enable tomorrow. Despite these conditions, this roundtable discussion will focus on how one online approach to professional development used by the faculty of Metropolitan State College of Denver (Metro) both promoted and impeded community building and collaborative problem-solving among a group of elementary mathematics teachers in rural Colorado and how other schools may be working through these issues. The growth of online mathematics education and the need for teachers in rural schools to obtain certification in mathematics suggest that mathematics teacher-educators can use Metro’s study and the discussions at this roundtable to structure and conduct online professional development courses in ways that conform to the principles of reform-based instruction.

Targeted Learning: A Successful Approach
Linda Cheeseman & Bina Kachwalla & Marilyn HolmesIn 2007 “Targeted Learning Groups were set up in Otago and Southland, New Zealand to support students with their development of knowledge about numbers and to help students become numerate flexible thinkers (Holmes & Tait-McCutcheon, 2009). Since then many schools in New Zealand have trialled the intervention and adapted, where appropriate, to suit the audience in their areas. The purpose of this round table is to outline how the mathematical intervention has been implemented in some of the low socio-economic schools in Auckland, New Zealand. The discussion will focus on the impact of this intervention on student mathematical knowledge and problem solving skills. Data collated from sample schools have indicated that if there is a delay in strategy learning, it is often due to a deficit in one or all of the four knowledge domains: numeral identification, number sequence, place value, and basic facts. In order to bridge the knowledge deficit this intervention provides teachers, parents and teacher aides with a structured and sequential framework of knowledge teaching. The repetition of any learning enables students to master and retain new knowledge (Nuthall 2002) and the consistent nature of the intervention knowledge lessons provide a foundation for students to develop confidence to problem solve. This round table forum will afford an opportunity for international colleagues to share their experiences of mathematical interventions that have effectively raised student achievement. The discussion will be open to support, critique and/or add to the existing intervention and to seek further research ideas.

Teaching Mathematics for an Ethical Citizenry
Helen J ForgaszAt a recent professional development session where I spoke, the principal, a former high school head of mathematics, welcomed participants and reflected on the importance of mathematics for children’s futures. He spoke of the relevance of mathematics and its power to model reality. The following exemplar was proposed: “Imagine you are the general of three army divisions. The first is winning handsomely, the second is holding its ground, and the third is suffering huge losses. You have sufficient support troops for only one division. Where would you deploy them?” The answer, he said, was simple, and based on mathematical modeling, “To the winning division, naturally”. He provided a second example: “Imagine you are charged with placing landmines for maximum effect. How would you arrange them?” Again, he claimed, mathematical modeling would enable this decision to be easily made. I left the session disturbed and perplexed. Both examples used to epitomise the power of mathematics were in military contexts, and enabling deaths (collateral damage) was not considered problematic. The principal seemed insensitive to any conceivable wrong in what he had put forward. Contemporary mathematics curricula urge teachers to ensure that students are exposed to “real world” mathematics. I have no argument with this. But, do teachers reflect on the implications of the contexts in which the examples are set? Do they consider if there are covert messages that reinforce stereotypes, or have moral, ethical, or political implications? At this round table, these issues and the research opportunities offered will be explored.