Josh Salter
Burnie High School, TAS
Tommeginne
Teaching Fellow
Numeracy is such a critical skill to develop in high school, and maths teacher Josh Salter has launched an innovative numeracy initiative at Burnie High School (and surrounding schools) that has had spectacular results.
The Burnie Counts project led by Josh, aimed to enhance numeracy skills across five schools, through explicit collaboration with teaching staff across four feeder primary schools. Targeting students from Kindergarten to Year 10, the project employs a shared curriculum and the co-constructed Burnie Counts Instructional model, focusing on evidence-based practices and the Big Ideas in Number program. This approach resulted in a 3% increase in PAT-Maths scores in one year from 2022 to 2023. Now in its third year, this initiative has promoted greater teacher collaboration and professional development, assisted student transitions to high school and enhanced overall learning experiences for students and staff alike.
Josh has also built strong parent and community engagement in the program by introducing communication strategies such as bi-weekly updates, termly evidence showcases, newsletters and weekly problem sets on Facebook. This has increased family interest and involvement with their children’s success in maths. The Burnie Counts on the Foreshore initiative, featuring interactive mathematics activities has further engaged families, fostering a sense of connection and enjoyment in the community.
As the project manager, Josh coordinates this initiative with primary schools in his area, working with a diverse group of educators to support all the schools effectively. Josh’s program exemplifies the transformative success of innovative numeracy educational approaches and has the potential to serve as a model for other schools across Australia.