Meet the AMSI staff: Dr Michael Evans
Michael Evans joined AMSI in 2004 to work on the ICE-EM Mathematics project which developed a series of textbooks accompanied with teacher support material and professional development for senior primary and secondary school students and teachers. Over 100,000 ICE-EM Mathematics textbooks are now in circulation and the program continues to grow.
Why Mathematics?
I enjoyed mathematics at school but my enthusiasm for the subject grew while studying at Monash in the late 1960’s. There were many students at that time that enjoyed the subject and Monash provided an exciting environment. There was an excellent staff that successfully promoted the idea that mathematics was alive and developing and we were made aware that we had the opportunity to be part of this. The culture was strong and we felt in touch with the world of mathematics. Many students of mathematics from this time at Monash went into teaching in schools and universities.
Life before AMSI.
I taught in both government and independent schools for over 30 years. For the last 17 years before coming to AMSI I was Head of Mathematics at Scotch College in Melbourne. I enjoyed my years at Scotch greatly, working with a very strong department. I still hear from students, many of whom went on to study mathematics at university and are pursuing careers in the field. I have also worked with the VCAA in both curriculum development and as Panel Chair of the Mathematical Methods setting panel.
Why did you decide to work at AMSI?
I had been involved with meetings organised by AMSI before joining and I was therefore very aware of the aims of the organisation and felt that I shared many of these. It is a wonderful opportunity to work with the others at AMSI to promote the wellbeing of mathematics in Australia in a diversity of ways.
What are you working on now?
At the moment I am working on Modules on particular mathematics topics. These are designed for teachers and are linked to the Australian National Curriculum for Mathematics. This work is a component of The Improving Mathematics Education in Schools (TIMES) project.
When the final version of the Australian K-10 curriculum is completed I will also start working with the ICE-EM Mathematics author team to make sure the new edition of the textbook series aligns with the curriculum. The success of these books has been a highlight of my time at AMSI.