Maths Explorer Years 3 & 4
About The Program
Exploring maths through problem solving is valuable for students of all ages. Whether your students are mainstream or high-achieving, Maths Explorer will develop their skills and knowledge in math problem solving and prepare them for the challenges of the Maths Games and/or the Maths Olympiad in later years.
The Maths Explorer program allows students in Years 3 and 4 to collaborate with their peers and work together to make decisions about the way they explore a problem, regardless of their abilities.
Unlike the Maths Olympiads, students participating in the Maths Explorer do not compete against teams from other schools. The primary focus of this program is to build students’ confidence and encourage them to develop their skills in a non-competitive environment. It uses fun and relatable themes to showcase how problem solving strategies can be applied to a variety of problems. It encourages students to work together to expand their knowledge and understanding.
The main aims of the program are to:
- Help younger students make sense of mathematical ideas rather than simply learning abstract concepts.
- Provide teachers with a high-quality, step-by-step problem solving program with topic videos and online digital activities.
- Allow for flexibility so that teachers can adjust the program to provide for different levels of ability.
- Introduce practical problem solving strategies and develop flexibility for problem solving.
- Provide opportunities for high achieving students to engage with challenging mathematical tasks.
- Stimulate students’ enthusiasm and enjoyment of mathematics.
- Build students’ confidence in their own abilities.
- Demystify problem solving and prevent the onset of ‘maths anxiety'.
- Provide opportunities for all students to succeed and be challenged as they solve problems
2025 Competition Dates
- Competition One - Wednesday, 7th May 2025
- Competition Two - Wednesday, 11th June 2025
- Competition Three - Wednesday, 30th July 2025
- Competition Four - Wednesday, 10th September 2025
Applications for date changes can be made in the Members’ area
Who Can Participate?
- The Maths Explorer program is suitable for ALL students in Years 3 and 4.
- Registration is only open to schools in Australia and New Zealand, as well as Australian International Schools.
- Individual registration is not possible.
- Schools can enter an unlimited number of teams with up to 30 students per team.
Program Format
- The Maths Explorer program differs from the Maths Olympiad and Maths Games. It allows students to work collaboratively in pairs or small groups of three, fostering teamwork and collective problem-solving skills
- Teachers can nominate high achieving students to complete the papers individually.
- Resource Kits are provided that focus on the individual problem-solving strategies included in the program. The Kits include a step-by-step guide for teachers to follow, topic videos to watch, samples of differentiated questions with fully worked solutions, digital activities, and tasks that support teachers' intervention and adjustment goals.
- The program comprises four papers, held approximately six weeks apart on the same dates as the Maths Olympiad (starting in early Term 2).
- Each paper contains five questions with differing levels of complexity, plus two additional (non-compulsory) Maths Challenger tasks to cater to the class's high achieving/high potential students.
- Whilst the small group approach is recommended for mainstream students, if teachers identify high-potential or gifted students within their class, the program has built-in adjustments to allow students to solve the problems individually or work on the additional Maths Challenger tasks
- The papers use relatable problems and themes, enhancing students' enjoyment of the program and allowing them to see how problem-solving strategies are applied.
- Students complete the papers in a classroom setting with a 30-minute time limit.
- Following each paper, APSMO encourages teachers to review the solutions with the class and provides videos that showcase examples of students' work to support explanations.
Program Resources
APSMO supports teachers in identifying their students’ problem solving abilities and provides resources to engage and extend all students throughout the year. The resources we provide include:
- A Problem Solving Profile tool that supports teachers by helping them to identify where students sit on the learning continuum regarding their problem solving ability and potential. This profile enables teachers to determine student suitability for extension activities such as the Maths Challenger tasks.
- A Preparation Kit in Term 1 containing a practice contest paper with fully worked solutions, video examples of solution strategies and a series of differentiated task cards.
- A separate Resource Kit is provided prior to each Maths Explorer paper, focusing on the specific strategies that will be included in the upcoming paper. Each Resource Kit contains a step-by-step guide for teachers to follow, topic videos to watch, samples of differentiated questions with fully worked solutions, digital activities, and tasks that support teachers' intervention and adjustment goals.
- A solution video after each contest paper that demonstrates relevant problem solving strategies. Classes are encouraged to view and consider the strategies shared in the video and then discuss and share their ideas.
- Each strategy covered in the program has a digital game to help reinforce learning.
- Past Maths Explorer papers are available for classes to access, allowing students to prepare through practice.
- The APSMO Problem of the Week videos available on this website include questions suited to Maths Explorer students that can be shared with students.
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