About the course ...

The Workshopping of Concept-Specific Open-Ended Questions is arguably the easiest and most powerful strategy to enable a class of students to grasp specific mathematical concepts. And once proficient, it requires zero prep!

This course gives insight into concept-specific Open-Ended Questions, why they powerfully promote conceptual understanding, and how to create them.

However, the key to this approach is the workshopping aspect, a technique many maths teachers are unfamiliar with. This course walks participants through, step-by-step, the workshopping aspect.

The Workshopping of Concept-Specific Open-Ended Questions will give you unlimited ideas across every topic and year level and will have you implementing 'tomorrow'.

This could be you ...

  • You are surprised at how immersed the students are in the mathematics - even the students who are typically disengaged.

  • So many AHA moments! Students eagerly explore the concepts you are targeting. You witness their understanding flourish.

  • This is a fun activity! The approach offers many levers to pull. Your influence over their understanding has increased significantly.

  • Engaging students with this approach is easy! Students enjoy collaborating and thinking their way through the open-ended tasks.

Feedback From Teachers

“This has been the most positive practical PD in mathematics that I have undertaken. It has given me direction in my desire to change from the traditional teaching of mathematics and given me hope that there is a better way and I can develop an understanding of mathematics. Thanks, Richard. ”

Paul Neilsen, Sophia College, QLD.

“I really liked the self-paced aspect, and that the videos were just the right length to engage me. It was really good to force myself to do something I sort of already did, but in a more purposeful manner. Ie, I was forcing myself to do THAT sort of question, instead of doing it by accident or as a by-product of something else. ”

Ciaran Quinn, Aurora College, NSW.

“I found the course simple to get through. It was just the right length. I found myself remembering things that I had forgotten to use. It was a nice nudge. I really liked seeing others' ideas.​ Thanks for a doable relevant course.​ ”

Susanna​ Trikilis​, Aurora College, NSW.

“Good format, great concept. I particularly liked that it forced me to actually develop the questions myself, so now I feel more comfortable making my own (as opposed to having a limited set someone else had made). The comments also kept me accountable for finishing the learning and reflecting on my experiences. ”

Helen Spencer, Aurora College, NSW.

Course curriculum

    1. 210 Two types of Mathematical Understanding (Video)

    2. 220 Mathematical Understanding - Two Curious Things (Video)

    3. 230 Concept-specific OEQs and the Workshopping Process (Video)

    4. 240 Create your own Concept-specific OEQs

      FREE PREVIEW
    5. 250 *Getting Ready To Implement ... Your Initial Thoughts*

    1. 310 Workshopping of Concept-specific OEQs - Overview (2013 video)

    2. 320 Your First Implementations ...

      FREE PREVIEW
    3. 330 Workshopping OEQs with measures of central tendency (Two at a time) (Video)

    4. 340 Rounding decimal numbers (Video)

    5. 350 Video: The Art Of Workshopping - A Summary

    6. 360 Algebraic simplification (Video)

    7. 370 Create more Concept-specific OEQs

    8. 375 *Share your OEQs and reflections on workshopping concept-Specific OEQs*

About this course

  • 25 lessons

FAQ

  • How long will the short-course take?

    You will need to spend at least a couple of hours on the content plus an hour or two gaining confidence in creating suitable OEQs and preparing yourself to implement the approach.

  • I'm an experienced teacher. How likely am I to want to implement the approach in the tutorial?

    The Workshopping of concept-specific Open-Ended Questions is a unique and simple yet powerful activity. There is no valid reason why any maths teacher who encounters the approach would not want to implement it.

Instructor

Richard Andrew

Hi! I’m Richard. I’ve been delivering PD to teachers since 2007 - after twenty-plus years in the classroom, six as a Department Head. My main PD thrust is to support teachers to improve their ability to foster agency and understanding in students. This is because we only shine as mathematics teachers when our students demonstrate agency ... when students assume ownership through experiencing a sense of control over their learning. I've always been fascinated by the craft of teaching maths. I have a knack for presenting complex pedagogical ideas in easy-to-follow ways, and in the absence of edu-babble.