About
Us
Who
are we?
We are a group of Teachers, Principals and Administrators from Schools in Australia.
What
do we do?
We
offer a range of professional development opportunities
for teachers.
Why
do we do it?
Our vision
is that all people will develop a positive attitude
to mathematics, be enabled to view the world mathematically
and use mathematics successfully to meet their needs.
Our Aims
MLATS aims to offer high quality, innovative professional
development to educators (teachers, parents) to maximise
opportunities for all students to achieve high standards
of learning.
Our high quality professional development courses are:
- conducted, in the main, over an extended period
of time (e.g. a term to a year). In this way we acknowledge
that participants need time to reflect on and build
on their knowledge and practice, and that real change
takes three to five years to consolidate
- delivered through workshops where participants are
expected to plan a classroom trial, implement it between
sessions and bring results to share with colleagues
at the next workshop. When participants are expected
to take something from a workshop, and try it, they
are more likely to add this to their repertoire of
teaching approaches
- designed, in the case of our shorter workshops (i.e.
2 hours-1 day) to give participants additional information
to what they gain in the longer term workshops. They
are designed to be undertaken in addition to, and
not instead of, our longer courses
The workshop process involves:
- professional input of best available research and
practice (through reading, presentation), hands on
experience of mathematical concepts, reflection on
these activities, planning for classroom trials and
sharing aspects of classroom practice
- a range of activities to develop conceptual and
procedural understandings
- supporting participants in implementing and managing
a constructive learning environment through a range
of strategies
- collaborative planning
- sharing, which allows time for continuous inquiry
onto the issues faced by educators when working with
students
- using a range of strategies that promote continual
development/improvement in knowledge, understanding
and practice
Feedback and Evaluation
- Regular feedback is gathered from participants
and this information is used to guide the presenter
in the decisions made regarding resources, content,
timing etc
- Independent evaluation of our courses informs the
continual development of our product
Our
Background
MLATS (Mathematics
Learning and Teaching for Success) was developed
in 1993 in response to teacher requests for professional
development in mathematics. It was developed by teachers
for teachers, and the initiative was supported by the
Lutheran Schools Association.
The first
course (the 10 day core course) was delivered to twenty
teachers from Lutheran Schools in South Australia. Since that time, thousands of teachers from all Education sectors, Independent, Catholic and State schools in South Australia, Western Australia, Northern Territory, Queensland, Indonesia, China, Thailand and Japan have participated in our courses.
The aims, the core structure and the process
of the course have remained relatively the same over
the years, but specific details have been constantly
updated in response to participant feedback, national
initiatives, emerging research findings and the changing
needs of teachers.
Recently there
has been a surge of interest in MLATS from local interstate
and international educators with many participating
in our shorter courses and workshops.
The
Rationale for MLATS
The teaching
of mathematics is a complex business, and in the busyness
of school life, teachers often do not have time to reflect
on the teaching and learning cycle, on what is working
well and on what could be improved. Additionally, many
teachers have expressed a lack of confidence in their
own mathematical knowledge, which in turn impacts on
their teaching of mathematics.
The interplay between school mathematics and the development of numeracy is complex. MLATS core course offers a broad introduction to the teaching and learning of mathematics and numeracy,
and seeks to help participating teachers identify the
mathematical knowledge that students should be learning,
and makes explicit the teacher's role in supporting
all students to be successful.
Our broad
range of other workshops and short courses are designed
to meet the needs and interests of teachers.
Our
Foundation Staff
Andrea
Broadbent - Director
Diploma of Teaching (Early Childhood Education),
Graduate Diploma of Theology (Lutheran Education), Bachelor
of Education (Professional Development), Graduate Certificate
in Mathematics Education
Andrea began
her teaching career in a small rural school in 1982.
Since that time she has taught students aged from 4
years to 13 years both as a classroom teacher and as
mathematics support teacher. Throughout the 1990’s
she was involved in the development and presenting of
the MLATS (Mathematics Learning and Teaching for Success)
course whilst raising five children. She is now the
Managing Director of the MLATS company which offers
a wide range of professional development opportunities
for teachers of Kindergarten to Year 9 students.
Margaret
Linke - Director
Diploma of Teaching (Middle Primary) Bachelor of
Education (Special Education) Graduate Diploma of Theology
(Lutheran Education) Graduate Diploma of Education (Literacy
& Language) Graduate Certificate in Mathematics
Education, MACE
Margaret entered
the teaching profession after spending some years in
a range of administrative roles in industry. She worked
as a classroom teacher with students aged from 8 years
to 13 years for 12 years, before taking on the role
of professional development coordinator for Lutheran
schools in SA, NT and WA. During her 7 years in this
role Margaret developed and delivered workshops and
courses in Literacy and Numeracy, and it was during
this time that MLATS was developed and trialled successfully.
Margaret who is a director of MLATS has been Principal
of St Peters Lutheran School at Blackwood in South Australia since it was opened in 1999.
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