In this solo episode of MathsTalk, Leanne McMahon explores how to use Textbooks creatively in Years 7 and 8, where students are moving from primary habits into more abstract secondary mathematics. The episode focuses on building precise mathematical language, identifying common transition misconceptions, using textbook exercises for concept development rather than simple practice, and structuring mixed-ability lessons around the same core task so all students can engage with the same important mathematics. It also argues for the central role of conceptual understanding in a book-based curriculum, and for teachers being deeply familiar with the curriculum so they can adapt, extend and refine tasks with confidence.

Resources mentioned in the episode include:

Texas Instruments Australia for teacher resources and professional learning (https://education.ti.com/en-au/teachers?category=professional-development )
AMSI ICE-EM textbooks will be published by Cambridge later in the year https://schools.amsi.org.au/ice-em-mathematics-textbooks/
NRICH for rich tasks and problem-solving https://nrich.maths.org/
Compression https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMmaiaZZeW0
youcubed for open and creative classroom tasks https://www.youcubed.org/
GeoGebra for interactive visual exploration https://www.geogebra.org/
Open Middle for challenging problems that unlock student thinking (Open Middle® |)
Illustrative Mathematics for problem-based middle years mathematics and collaborative reasoning routines (Illustrative Mathematics K–12 Math)
University of Melbourne’s decimal misconceptions site for insight into common misconceptions about decimal numbers (extranet.education.unimelb.edu.au)

Using textbooks in the creative classroom Years 7&8