Supporting our Teachers and Students into the future: Valuing the value of values (F – Y12) Mathematics learning is most effective when teachers’ excellent teaching of mental processes and nurturing of affective states are accompanied by students’ motivation and ‘want to learn’. What students find important personally – that is, value – in their mathematics learning determines the strength of this motivation. In this session, we will look at how questions like ‘why do we have to learn this mathematics?’, strong teacher-student relationships, proficiency in mathematics, mathematical wellbeing, and some countries’ persistent domination of international league tables can be better understood from a values perspective. We will also discuss how teachers can foster in students enabling values relating to mathematics learning.

Key takeaways:
1. Mathematics learning is a function of mental processes, emotional regulation, and value motivations.
2. Our professional practice is value-laden, though we may not be aware of the valuing we model or the values we instil amongst our students with regards to mathematics learning.
3. In the Australian Curriculum, proficiency in mathematics represents four values embraced by the learning area.
4. The quality of one’s mathematical wellbeing is related to the extent to which certain values are fulfilled in mathematics education.