November 8th 1656 was Edmund Halley’s birth date. Halley was Professor of Geometry at Oxford and accurately predicted the return of the comet that now bears his name.
This event has been held and this page now contains links to resources from the sessions.
10:00 – 10:45am Keynote:
Being a professional and agentic mathematics teacher in a digital and AI world – Lisa Darragh – University of Auckland
Digital technologies and AI change the teaching and learning of mathematics in many ways, yet in most mathematics education research the assumption is that this change is always beneficial. Little attention is paid to the changing role of the teacher in technology and AI contexts, nor to the potential for teacher professionalism and agency to be eroded by these technologies. In this presentation I draw from my research into online mathematics instructional platforms (like Mathletics, Matific, Education Perfect) to argue for the importance of the teacher in the digital and AI world. My research involved a number of complementary studies, including surveys of primary school leaders and senior secondary students, analyses of websites, and case studies in both primary and secondary contexts. I will share some of my findings from across these studies and invite discussion around how we might fight for and maintain teacher agency and professionalism in mathematics.
Dr Lisa Darragh is a lecturer in the Faculty of Education and Social Work at the University of Auckland. She was a primary school teacher both in Aotearoa New Zealand and the far north of Canada before pursuing a PhD in mathematics education. Lisa’s research interests include mathematics learner and teacher identity, the impact of neoliberal policies on education and teacher professional learning in mathematics. Lisa’s passion for research makes its way into her teaching at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
- Resources Slideshow
11am – 11:45am
Algebra: A compilation of Rich Problem Solving Tasks, Interactive Activities and Games – Wendy Liddell – Tirimoana School
Join us for an exciting and hands-on Algebra Workshop designed for teachers working with Year 3 to Year 6 students. This session will dive into rich problem-solving tasks, engaging games, clever puzzles, and interactive activities that bring algebraic thinking to life in the classroom. You’ll leave with ready-to-use resources that can be implemented immediately, plus plenty of fresh ideas to inspire your students. Be sure to have pencil and paper handy — you’ll be tackling some thought-provoking challenges yourself! Whether you’re new to teaching algebra or looking to extend your toolkit, there will be valuable gems for everyone in this workshop.
Wendy has been teaching mathematics and science in the primary classroom for 20 years. Thirteen of those were spent at the Singapore American School where she established a science and math enrichment programme for the elementary school. She currently works at Tirimoana School where she teaches mathematics and also holds the role of an ASL in the Te Atatu Kahui Ako. Wendy is passionate about mathematics and science being accessible to all students, raising achievement levels and exploring creative and innovative ways to involve all participants in the excitement, beauty and relevancy of mathematics.
- Resources: Slides link
Modelling in the middle years – Megan Clune – University of Auckland
Mathematical modelling is an important process that is primarily developed in secondary schooling. However, modelling sub-processes can be targeted in earlier schooling to provide students with foundational competencies. To see how digital tools might support students in developing mathematical modelling sub-processes, I created a digital escape game for Year 7–10 students to play during maths class. I conducted the game under research conditions with small groups of students. The game encouraged students to engage with several modelling sub-processes, especially constructing, simplifying, and working mathematically. However, the game highlighted particular sub-processes that were not engaged as intended. One key takeaway was the important role the teacher played in prompting mathematical thinking throughout the activity. It’s clear that we need to explore further how teachers can best support students in digital learning spaces.
Megan Clune is a professional teaching fellow at the University of Auckland, lecturing in primary mathematics, technology and science education. Previously an Assistant Principal and lead teacher of mathematics and digital technologies, Megan has always had a passion for the learning and teaching of mathematics and holds a master’s degree in mathematics education. Her areas of interest include: mathematics curriculum change, student engagement in mathematics, and the affordances of digital technologies in the learning of mathematics.
Does Notation Matter? – Carl Fourie – Macleans College
What does (250, 101) mean? Could it mean different things in different contexts? Could it mean different things in the same context to different people? How much attention do we pay to notation? And does it really matter? What about units – could using them help or hinder mathematical calculations? These are some of the questions we will be looking at in this session.
Carl Fourie taught Mathematics for 30 years in Cape Town, South Africa. He was the national examiner for Matrices, Graph Theory, Finances and Modelling in South Africa for 10 years. For the past six years he has been working at Macleans College. He teachers both NCEA and Cambridge courses, including Further Mathematics.
- Resources: as pdf
12pm – 12:45pm
Early Years Mathematics & Statistics – making the most of every opportunity – Jody Hayes – Grey Lynn School
In this presentation Jody will offer some ideas for how kaiako of early years ākonga can set up meaningful, engaging mathematics in their class to begin 2026. The mathematics and statistics opportunities for ākonga will take into consideration universal design for learning and Aotearoa’s unique place in the world.
Jody is an educator who values collaborating with others for the benefit of students in Aotearoa. She has been in leadership and teaching across primary and intermediate schools. Jody is currently working at Grey Lynn School leading curriculum and spending her day with new entrant learners.
- Resources: Slides
Problem solving or Investigating situations in mathematics and statistics – Dr Cami Sawyer – Te Poutāhū (Curriculum Centre)
There are 5 key processes that are implemented for teaching maths in a structured way: investigating, representing, connecting, generalising, and explaining and justifying. In this session we will discuss a structured approach to mathematical investigations which is a broad term for problem solving.
Cami has been working for the Ministry of Education as a mathematics and statistics subject matter expert since 2021. She has worked in the writing of the 0-8 NZ Curriculum Mathematics and Statistics Learning Area, and she led the work on the common practice model. Before that she taught in the Manawatu for 15 years at various high schools and Massey University.
- Resources: slides in PDF
Phase 4 Teachers Discuss the New Curriculum – Facilitated by Jared Hockly
This will be an open, yet structured, session for Teachers to discuss what they are noticing in the new curriculum (October 19th 2025). This is not a session to hear from the writers, or Ministry representatives – if is for the to-be users of the curriculum to share what they their thoughts from reading it are. This session will not be recorded. Minutes will be taken and we may decide to pass these onto AMA, NZAMT and/or MOE.
Jared is the #AMAonline organiser and HOD at Western Springs College – Ngā Puna o Waiōrea
Resources: Overview of discusion Doc
