What to do about a critical shortage of teachers? Helping solve a wicked maths problem

But there’s the problem. Amidst a national shortage of teachers, the challenge is most pronounced in the so-called STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics). And even more so in rural and regional areas, where attracting and supporting specialist teachers has proved difficult. 

With Australia’s growing STEM teacher shortage projected to affect up to 70,000 students annually by 2030 – and out-of-field teaching rates for mathematics reaching as high as 32 per cent – the need for targeted solutions has never been more urgent. 

“At a school level you might have a small number of specialised teachers, not only teaching their classes, but supporting teachers who are teaching mathematics out-of-field,” Dr Peddell says. 

“It puts specialist and non-specialist mathematics teachers under enormous pressure. We needed a way to equip more people with the skills to teach mathematics without them needing to take a break from their service to do so.”  

It became a research question – supported by the Mathematical Association of New South Wales – which in turn led to the creation of a novel mirco-credential: Professional Certificate in Teaching Mathematics (Out-Of-Field Teachers). 

“We have teachers in the field who have very good skills,” Dr Peddell says. “We’re aiming to support them to have the specialised skills needed to teach mathematics. 

“The benefit is to the students, to the school and to teacher professionally, given these skills are in such high demand.” 

The certificate was one of 28 courses approved through the Federal Government’s Mircocredentials Pilot in Higher Education program, designed to address priority areas, including education. 

Dr Peddell is focused on the importance of mathematics in supporting life-skills, such as time management, budgeting, health and fitness – just to name a few; but his conviction for the subject runs much, much deeper than that. 

“Mathematics is everywhere – it is in nature, it is in all things that we create,” he says. “It allows people to be a more engaged citizens, to have more fulfilled lives, and to understand and respond to the challenges faced by our precarious ecosystems. 

“Mathematics really is our bridge to a better world.”  

Dr Peddell’s research focus is at the intersection of mathematics education and school improvement, and of collaborative learning communities and professional networks. His efforts were recently recognised with a Southern Cross University Award for Research Excellence.

He is a member of the TeachLab Research Group, along with the Sustainability, Environment, and the Arts in Education (SEAE) research centre and the Early Years Research Lab, that collectively have created more than two decades of evidence-based research at Southern Cross. 

Executive Dean Professor Amy Cutter-Mackenzie-Knowles said the Faculty of Education was highly distinctive, because of the quality and passion of academics and researchers such as Dr Peddell. 

“We were already focused on many of the themes unpacked by the Teacher Education Expert Panel, so we are at the cutting edge to responding to the challenges facing the sector both regionally and nationally. 

"Lewes’ work also shows how we operate in deep partnership with professional associations and schools – working in really practical ways to address complex problems in the education system.”