T2L Education

Blog - Key Lessons from The Maths Project Trials

Over the past term, we have worked with schools to trial The Maths Project in a variety of classroom settings. What began as an initiative focused on enriching high-achieving students quickly evolved into something much bigger. Teachers discovered that rich mathematical challenges, student collaboration and video explanations could engage learners across the full range of abilities.

At the heart of The Maths Project is a simple cycle: Watch, Solve, Explain, Learn. Students watch a short video introducing a mathematical challenge, solve the problem independently or collaboratively, explain their thinking through a video response, and learn from the strategies and reasoning of others. This process aligns closely with Emeritus Professor Peter Sullivan's Launch–Explore–Summarise model. The "Watch" phase acts as the launch, introducing the challenge and building curiosity. The "Solve" phase provides time for exploration, where students test ideas, make mistakes and develop strategies. The "Explain" and "Learn" phases mirror the summarise component, where students articulate their thinking, compare approaches and consolidate important mathematical ideas. Through this structure, students are not simply practising mathematics; they are thinking, communicating and learning like mathematicians.

The trials provided valuable insights into how students learn mathematics and what conditions help them become confident problem solvers.

1. The Launch–Explore–Summarise Model Works

One of the strongest observations from our trials was the effectiveness of the Launch–Explore–Summarise lesson structure. Students were introduced to a challenging problem, given time to explore possible solutions, and then shared and discussed their thinking.

This approach created opportunities for students to wrestle with ideas, test strategies and learn from one another. Rather than being told exactly what to do, students were encouraged to think mathematically and make decisions about how to approach a problem.

2. Explicit Teaching Still Matters

The success of problem solving does not mean abandoning explicit teaching. In fact, explicit teaching remained a critical part of successful lessons.

What changed was the timing.

Rather than delivering all instruction at the beginning of a lesson, teachers were often able to provide targeted teaching at the point of need. When students encountered a barrier in their thinking, they were more receptive to learning a new concept or strategy because they immediately saw its purpose.

Students were not asking, "Why do we need to learn this?" They already knew.

3. The Problem Reveals the Learning

A well-designed mathematical problem acts as a powerful assessment tool.

As students worked through tasks, teachers gained valuable insights into what students understood, where misconceptions existed and which concepts required further teaching.

Instead of using assessment after instruction, the problem itself became a vehicle for identifying learning needs and informing future teaching.

4. Mathematical Talk Matters

Many schools are working to improve student reasoning, communication and mathematical language. The Maths Project provided a natural platform for these skills to develop.

Students were required to explain their thinking, justify their decisions and communicate their reasoning to others. Rich discussions emerged as students compared strategies and challenged each other's ideas.

We found that some of the most valuable learning occurred during conversations rather than calculations.

5. Great Problems Have Multiple Entry Points

One of the most exciting discoveries was the accessibility of high-quality mathematical challenges.

The same problem could often be used with students across multiple year levels. Students entered the task according to their current level of mathematical understanding and applied strategies that made sense to them.

Some students used simple arithmetic, while others applied sophisticated algebraic reasoning. The problem remained the same, but the mathematics varied according to the learner.

This is differentiation at its best.

6. Let the Strategies Come from the Solutions

Traditional mathematics lessons often begin with the teacher demonstrating a method before students practise it.

In our trials, we frequently observed the opposite.

Students explored the problem first, developed their own approaches and then shared these strategies with the class. The discussion that followed allowed teachers to highlight efficient methods, important mathematical ideas and connections between different approaches.

The strategies emerged from the solutions rather than being imposed before the thinking began.

7. Video Reflection Builds Confidence

A unique feature of The Maths Project is the use of student-created video explanations.

Many students found their first recording challenging. They hesitated, forgot mathematical vocabulary or struggled to clearly explain their reasoning.

However, performance improved dramatically on the second and third attempts.

Students became more fluent in their explanations, more confident in their reasoning and more willing to communicate mathematical ideas. The process of recording and reviewing their thinking became a powerful learning experience in itself.

An unexpected benefit was the impact on student confidence. Students often take greater care when they know they will be presenting their thinking to an audience. Recording a video encouraged them to refine their explanations, use accurate mathematical language and organise their ideas more clearly. Over time, students became increasingly comfortable sharing their thinking and taking intellectual risks.

8. Problem Solving Is Not One-Size-Fits-All

Perhaps the most important lesson from our trials was that there is no single pathway to solving a mathematical problem.

Different students approached the same challenge in different ways. Some used drawings, some used concrete materials, some relied on number sense and others applied formal procedures.

The diversity of thinking was not a problem to overcome. It was the goal.

When students see that mathematics is about reasoning, creativity and persistence rather than simply following steps, they begin to develop the confidence and resilience needed to tackle unfamiliar challenges.

9. Too Much Scaffolding Can Limit Thinking

One interesting observation emerged from schools that relied heavily on pre-prepared mathematics slide decks and highly structured lessons. While students were often successful when following demonstrated procedures, they sometimes struggled when faced with unfamiliar problems that required independent thinking.

Students found it more difficult to explain their reasoning, justify their strategies and engage in rich mathematical discussions. This reinforced the importance of providing regular opportunities for productive struggle and open-ended problem solving alongside explicit instruction.

Students need opportunities to think for themselves, make decisions and experience the satisfaction of solving problems without being shown every step.

Looking Ahead

The Maths Project has reinforced our belief that students need more opportunities to think, reason, discuss and explain their mathematics.

Explicit teaching remains an important part of effective instruction, but it should be complemented by rich mathematical challenges that require students to apply their knowledge in meaningful ways.

The future of mathematics education is not choosing between direct instruction and problem solving. It is finding the right balance between both.

By combining the Watch–Solve–Explain–Learn cycle with rich mathematical tasks, purposeful discussion and student-created video explanations, The Maths Project provides a practical way for schools to bring the Launch–Explore–Summarise model to life. The result is deeper engagement, stronger mathematical communication and more confident problem solvers.

Mark McKelson
T2L Education

Mathematical Association of Victoria
Australian Education Research Organisation - AERO
QAMT Queensland Association of Mathematics Teachers Inc.
MASA Mathematical Association of South Australia
Mathematical Association of New South Wales (MANSW)

Peter Sullivan and Mark are looking forward to presenting on Problem Solving at the MASA Mathematical Association of South Australia conference. Book your tickets now.

Registrations are officially open for the 2026 MASA Annual Conference, to be held at Morialta Secondary College on Thursday 16 and Friday 17 July, with special ‘Early Bird’ rates available until 23 June.

Attending the MASA Annual Conference is a fantastic way to discover new classroom strategies and grow your professional network.

Our theme this year is "From Curiosity to Connection: Engaging Minds Through Mathematics," which focuses on bringing educators and leaders together to share innovative, practical ideas. Attending is a good opportunity to directly improve your teaching practices through collaborative workshops and inspiring keynote presentations. You will also be able to connect face-to-face with a wide range of exhibitors that actively support mathematics education.

Register now for the ‘early bird’ rate at; https://masaonline.org.au/masa-2026-ann-conf-tickets/

'I like the way they have to talk about their thinking'

Some great mathematical thinking at Morang South Primary School today. The Maths Project is now fully booked for our Problem Solving sessions next term.

Click the link in the comments to learn more.

The Maths Project is a problem-solving and communication platform where students solve rich mathematical challenges and create videos explaining their reasoning. By making mathematical thinking visible, teachers gain deeper insight into student understanding while students develop confidence, language, and reasoning skills.

Learn more about The Maths Project at our new website. Click the link in the comments to learn more.

Mathematical Association of Victoria
QAMT Queensland Association of Mathematics Teachers Inc.
Mathematical Association of New South Wales (MANSW)
MASA Mathematical Association of South Australia
The Mathematical Association of Western Australia

T2L | Maths Activities & Professional Development for Teachers Maths Professional Learning for teachers & schools. Maths lesson ideas, activities, problems & resources with Peter Sullivan & Rob Vingerhoets. Explicit Teaching in Maths

After 2 days at EDUtech Australia The Maths Project is alive. There is a real demand for problem solving and our four step teaching model. Check out the T2L website to learn more and book a time to chat with Mark.

The Mathematical Association of Victoria
The Mathematical Association of New South Wales (MANSW)
MASA Mathematical Association of South Australia
QAMT Queensland Association of Mathematics Teachers Inc.

Some great solutions to our maths problem at EDUtech Australia today. Pop down and say hello tomorrow.

The Maths Project is EDUtech Australia . Come and say hello.

Thanks to the team Hill Consolidated School for working with The Maths Project to trial some problems today.

Click the link on the comments for a free 90 minute problem solving class with The Maths Project.

Mathematical Association of Victoria