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 Maths300 Review Subscription prices | Review of Maths300 Maths300: P-12 Classroom activities and teacher professional development Micromath: A journal of the Association of Teachers of Mathematics Maths300 are resources available via the Internet, which have been devised by an Australian team of mathematics educationalists. The idea is 'to resource members with extensive notes for, at least, the best 300 maths lessons (K–12)'. However, the first 50 lessons are run from a CD entitled Starting Maths 300 so there is no need to go online to become familiar with the structure and professional issues related to the site. On purchasing the CD you will be issued with a username and a password for the Maths300 website so that you can access the extra materials available. The CD is easy to use; however, it is important that you read the instructions given on the disk before beginning, otherwise it could lead to wasted time and programs not loading. In order to run any of the software for the lessons you must first download the required launcher from the CD. There is a separate launcher available for the Macintosh system that can be found in the same place under 'software'. There are many different features that make up this package. As well as software the lessons are supported by worksheets (with solutions), game boards where relevant, and a 'living' Classroom Connections section where you can feed back on your lesson. Since the resource is Australian, the currency involved in a few of the questions is in dollars. This needs to be borne in mind but could lead to an extra dimension for students calculating the sterling equivalent. On the CD there are 21 lessons that have software – I found it easiest to download the software from the CD to start with. There are several sections of support given by Maths300 and the majority of the resources on the CD are accessed through the 'Members' section. There is a curriculum planning section, which shows how others have adapted their schemes of work to include Maths300 and a link to the Task centre to build on lessons. There are resources to be used with tasks such as isometric paper and policies about teaching research such as 'working mathematically'. I found the teaching research documents particularly interesting as it reminded me how mathematicians work, and how they are enabled to improve. The actual lessons themselves go through the processes in detail – they have been piloted and found to work – but there is no need to stick to these rigidly or at all; the resources available are immense. I found the 'Lesson' hyperlink the most useful, as the page still contained the overview. There is plenty of information so that you know exactly what should be done when. For some this might be far too prescriptive, but at least one could see the desired outcomes and adapt the lesson to suit. For each lesson there is an age range given – this is aimed at Australian schools so it ranges from K–12 which is kindergarten to Year 12… Students are able to do printouts but it is recommended that they use screen shots to document their work. I have found the programs very interesting. They cover a range of mathematical skills under the headings: number, pattern & algebra, space, chance & data, language & logic, measurement. Although these do not fit directly into our National Curriculum headings, all are covered and quite easily translated. Each lesson may cover one or a combination of the topics and utilise visual and kinaesthetic approaches. Starting Maths300 provides items that promote discussion within departments, and has suggestions on its integration into the curriculum. Some tasks seem deceptively easy but lead to good mathematical reasoning… This is a good integrated package of hands-on and computer activities which speed up practice and promote mathematical reasoning; the use of probability trials provides more time exploring the other concepts involved in the topic. The website itself is set up in a slightly different manner as there are so many different lessons and activities to choose from. The user types in the criteria to be matched and a search is undertaken which retrieves the most relevant examples. As a result of my searches I discovered very interesting material. One particular example demonstrated work on the 'Gradient Function'. Why not visit the Maths300 website as a guest, where you can access an overview of the lessons, to get a flavour of the contents for yourself: http://www.curriculum.edu.au/maths300 I found the CD to be full of useful resources over the full age range. There is something for everyone. Starting Maths300 is an excellent resource! Reviewer: Theresa McAteer Head of ICT/Business Studies at Twynham School, Christchurch, Dorset *Reproduced with permission Subscription prices | Review of Maths300
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