LEARNING OUTCOMES
By the end of this chapter, you will:
• explore challenges and rewards when working in remote locations in Australia, rural New Zealand, and small Pacific Island nations
• discover teaching strategies that assist in maintaining a positive learning environment in remote and small Pacific nation classrooms
• understand the importance of the relationships among and between parents, students, teachers and other community members
• discover how to make the most of available resources, including online sources of teacher reference material.
Key term
• Remote area: A location far away from an urban centre or large regional town.
One of the most rewarding and professionally invigorating experiences a teacher can have is working beyond the city, in regional, rural and remote communities. Whether these communities are situated in rural and remote Australia, the rural areas of New Zealand or a developing Pacific Island nation, the teaching of mathematics requires a thoughtful responsiveness to culture and context.
If you have ever taught in a remote area, one of the first things you may have noticed is the importance of community and parental involvement. Relationship-building is the key to success at all levels. While mathematical content knowledge (MCK) and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) remain important ingredients, elements of PCK are further extended to enable concept development when working in a climate of limited resources, reduced availability of technological tools and access, and fewer role models in terms of mathematics career paths. Often, lower rates of school attendance impact on individual student growth in mathematics, and it is essential to implement strategies to improve attendance rates and close the gap in mathematical opportunities.
This chapter considers issues common in the mathematics classroom in rural and remote areas of countries similar to Australia and New Zealand, and the Pacific Island country context. Classroom snapshots capture real classroom situations within the context of primary and early secondary mathematics teaching. Many of the issues can also be found in suburban and regional centres; however, their prevalence and the need to address them are often exacerbated in remote areas. This chapter explores strategies for making the most of available resources and the invaluable professional experience of working in these areas.
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