Fossil Detectives: A Case Study of a Numeracy Learning Unit for Gifted and Talented Australian Aboriginal Children
Numeracy, defined as the application of mathematics in everyday life, is a feature of school curricula in the twenty-first century. It is widely accepted that school mathematics can be brought to life by embedding mathematics in everyday contexts. This paper describes how a culturally significant contextual mathematics unit was created and implemented with the “Wii Gaay Kids”, a group of gifted and talented Aboriginal children selected from Year 3-6 classes in rural New South Wales schools. In the Wii Gaay program, groups of 30 children attend residential workshops twice a year over a three-year cycle, involving literacy, numeracy, mathematics and ICT applications, with the fundamental aims of engagement, promotion of learning and development of self-efficacy. The children undertake problem solving tasks matched to Indigenous learning styles, acquire knowledge and skills in using resources, and implement and showcase their solutions.
The background, structure, and learning outcomes of the ‘Fossil Detectives’ unit and the different resources used to support it will be detailed. The effects of modelling this particular mathematics pedagogy on the attitudes of colleague teachers and support staff will also be outlined.
Keywords: Indigenous Learners, Contextual Mathematics, Gifted and Talented
Lecturer in Mathematics Education, School of Education