THE IMSITE PROJECT:
Inspiring Mathematics and
Science in Teacher Education

The IMSITE project was funded by the Office of Learning and Teaching (now demised) in 2014. The funded period of the project concluded in December 2017, however several ongoing activities ensued - see below for details. Being one of a number of projects under the umbrella of the Enhancing the Training of Mathematics and Science Teachers (ETMST) project, this national project involved six universities, each uniquely applying and developing initiatives to meet the project's overarching objectives:

1. To foster genuine, lasting collaboration that unites Mathematics and/or Science and Education scholars across disciplinary boundaries that have previously divided them.
2. To institutionalise new ways of integrating the content and pedagogical expertise of Mathematics/Science Education professionals to enrich the preparation of teachers.

The IMSITE team at the University of Newcastle (UoN) focused on Mathematics particularly within Mathematics and Science teacher education. The team consisted of academics from the Mathematics, Statistics, and Education disciplines and a Project Officer whose background includes school Science teaching. For further information about the project and ongoing activities, please contact any team-member:

• Edwina Butler (UoN Project Officer)
• Professor Kathryn Holmes (then UoN School of Education)
• Assoc. Prof. Peter Howley (Statistics)
• Dr Andrew Kepert (UoN co-lead, Mathematics)
• Dr Adam Lloyd (Education)
• Dr Judy-anne Osborn (UoN lead, Mathematics)
• Dr Elena Prieto (Education)
• Dr Malcolm Roberts (Mathematics)

The initiatives undertaken as part of this project by this team were varied and include:

• Improvements to courses in pre-service Mathematics teacher education
• Collaborations between local pre-service and practicing teachers and academics
• Community building between local pre-service teachers, local teachers, and university academics
• Collaborative research on interaction and learning in multidisciplinary teams

A key initiative that brought together mathematics educators from the University (from the disciplines of Education, Mathematics and Statistics) and our region's schools, was the annual Newcastle Mathematics Educator Conference. Held three times, and drawing a total of approximately 260 educators, it was from this initiative the Newcastle Mathematics Educator Community (NMEC) emerged and evolved.

Although the IMSITE project wound up at the end of 2017, the activity of the Newcastle Mathematics Educator Community remains a legacy. Through a variety of ongoing activities conducted through the University of Newcastle and in association with the local branch of the NSW Maths Teacher's Association (NMA), our region's maths educators have opportunities to continue to network, engage and learn.

Some of the ongoing activities include:

• Homework Clubs
• Network Meetings co-organized by Elena Prieto and Cassandra Portelli
• National Poster Competition
• Young Mathematicians Program
• Pre-service & Practicing Mathematics Teacher Collaborations