- New Prices from October 1st
- Tasks will rise by 60 cents (+ GST) each from October 1st, 2004.
- This is the first rise since July 2000 and it has been made necessary by increases from suppliers and increases in postage.
- A kit of 100 tasks will rise by $66 (including GST).
- There will be consequent changes in other packages and in overseas prices.
- Task Centre professional development fees have not changed.
- As always, prices include delivery. However orders of less than 10 tasks will attract a small postage & handling charge.
- All tasks will now be supplied in a tough press-seal bag. Bags will not have to be ordered separately.
- If you are planning to purchase after October 1st you should budget using the following fliers.
- Poly Plug, which can be used to explore the whole class investigation life of many tasks, will also rise on October 1st. The new price for each set will be $14·96.
From October 1st, our product range will also be reviewed:
- The Working Mathematically Curriculum Pack will be refreshed to include 4 Maths With Attitude kits of your choice. The package is offered at significant discount.
- Starting Maths300 & Tasks is also offered at discount.
- The Chance & Data Replacement Unit remains, but Replacement Units in other strands will be discontinued in favour of the updated unit plans available in Maths With Attitude kits.
- Points of View, Mixed Media Unit 1 remains, but Mixed Media Unit 2, Fractions in Action will be discontinued in favour of the updated unit plans available in Maths With Attitude kits. The price of Points of View will not change.
- Watch for Discontinued Line Specials in the near future.
- Recording Sheets
Some tasks need a record sheet or work sheet. If so, this is listed on the card. Master copies of are always provided with every order of 50 or more tasks. However, things can go astray in a school storeroom, so these masters are now available in the Documents link on the left as either Word '97 or PDF files. In the process of adding these files, the whole Documents link has been revised and is worth a look.
- Indigenous Kit Update
The Task Centre Kit for Aboriginal Students has become an accepted resource for a wide range of schools which have Indigenous Students among their population. It has become even more popular since the development of Maths300 because 23 of the 50 tasks in the kit have their story told on Maths300. In addition, 13 of these Maths300 stories have software support. The purchase of a Kit for Aboriginal Students, in conjunction with a Maths300 membership is a common request.
We have recently revised the manual which comes with the kit. Apart from a new coloured cover which reflects the tones of the Australian soil, the text has been reviewed and a few errors have been corrected. It has always been a sound document, so there is no need to rush out and buy a new one. New clients will receive the update. Note too, that there has a been a price increase in this kit from October 1st. The new price is $849.50 (was $770). This figure includes GST & delivery. This is the first price change in this item for at least six years.
You can find all the information related to Indigenous Students in that link on the left.
We are also in the process of updating the Teachers' Handbook for the mainstream kit. This will be available in the next month or so.
- Task Dossiers
Many schools find it useful to keep dossiers on each task. As the task is used with more and more students, both teachers and students come up with ideas which dig deeper into the iceberg of the task. If this information is recorded, it can be shared. A dossier is a local structure for recording what is already known about a task and allowing future information to be easily added. Often these days such dossiers are electronic and include direct links to Maths300 information about a task.
However not all tasks have, or will have, companion lessons on Maths300. Information also - perhaps even more so - needs to be recorded about these. In the Iceberg Information link on the left, we have added a sample dossier for Task 49, Take A Chance, and a blank Word document with sections, headings and layout in the format of this example. You might find it a useful starting point for your own dossier format.
- Problem Solving for Infants
Recently we have been asked several times about tasks for infants. In the past we have only been able to suggest a list of tasks which some colleagues have thought could be adapted to this level. However, in response to this renewed interest from teachers of the very young, we have updated the infant tasks link to include a description of the problem solving possibilities which develop when one views the Poly Plug resource as the hands-on material of a task. Check Tasks for Infants in the Resources link on the left.
- Did you miss the September News?
If so you missed information about:
- Price changes from October 1st - still available above.
- A good idea for using old computers.
- Problem solving for infants - still available above.
- Professional Development Partnerships.
- Access information for task recording sheets - still available above.
