Mathspace in Central and Far North Queensland: Empowering Young Mathematicians Through Regional Partnerships
Mathspace partnered with QAMT in bringing maths events to Central and Far North Queensland. Read how regional collaboration is sparking mathematical curiosity.
At Mathspace, we’re passionate about making mathematics accessible, engaging, and empowering for all students—no matter where they live. That’s why I was thrilled to partner with the Queensland Association of Mathematics Teachers (QAMT) to support two standout events in Central and Far North Queensland this term.
Rockhampton Maths Teams Challenge: A Record-Breaking Year
The Capricornia branch of QAMT hosted their long-running Maths Teams Challenge in Rockhampton, bringing together a record 800 students from across Central Queensland. Held over three days, the event welcomed students from schools as far afield as Blackwater, Yeppoon, and Gladstone, with remote students from the Capricornia School of Distance Education also taking part online.
Mathspace was proud to be a partner in the event, providing both financial support and interactive mathematics challenges to complement the team-based competition. I had the pleasure of running what we dubbed the Mathspace Maths Teams Challenge Competition, offering a prize for the top-performing student at each year level.
It was an inspiring experience to see such high engagement in mathematics from students across Years 4 through 12. Congratulations to our winning students from the following schools:
- Year 4/5: St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Park Avenue
- Year 6: Mount Archer State School
- Year 7/8: Lighthouse Christian School
- Year 9/10: Capricornia School of Distance Education
- Year 11/12: Glenmore State High School
Students tackled challenging problems individually, while also experiencing the fun of mathematical collaboration. We also saw a warm reception for Milo the Mathspace dog, who made a special appearance and quickly became a crowd favourite.
Cairns Enrichment Days: Inspiring Mathematical Curiosity
Following the Rockhampton event, I headed north to participate in the QAMT Cairns Enrichment Days, another initiative showcasing the region’s commitment to high-quality mathematics education.
This multi-day event saw top-performing students from across the Cairns region gather for hands-on activities designed to stretch their thinking and deepen their mathematical understanding.
On Wednesday, Mathspace partnered with Texas Instruments (TI) to host an afternoon session for Year 6 students, focused on Fermi problems and Mathemagic. These tasks not only promoted number fluency but also emphasised critical thinking and the evaluation of assumptions—core skills in any mathematical journey.
On Thursday and Friday, we worked with Year 7 and Year 9 enrichment students. Using Mathspace’s investigation lessons and digital formative assessment tasks, students engaged deeply with key mathematical concepts. They also experienced our exciting new Tug-of-War game, which uses spaced practice to reinforce fluency in a fun and competitive way.
TI’s Peter Fox joined us once again to run large-group sessions, where we explored classic mathematical constructs such as the Sieve of Eratosthenes to discover and understand prime numbers in a new light.
Building a Love of Mathematics in Regional Queensland
These events underscore how impactful local partnerships can be in bringing high-quality, engaging mathematics education to students in regional and remote areas. The combination of team-based problem solving, digital tools, and interactive activities created memorable experiences that will hopefully spark a long-term love of mathematics in many young minds.
It’s a privilege to be part of events that celebrate mathematical thinking in such inclusive and creative ways. We’re especially grateful to QAMT, all the participating schools, and of course the students and teachers who made these events such a success.
We can’t wait to return next year!
