Rob Proffitt-White
Math and Numeracy Director
Rob’s experience as a primary school teacher has been central to his passion to translate research evidence into mathematics classroom practices and routines that teachers can quickly implement.
His experiences working alongside teachers and school leaders as a Queensland Government Mathematics advisor and his work with schools across Aotearoa, has inspired teachers to become more discerning users of commercial resources and research findings, lessening the burden of being overwhelmed that countless teachers reported. His refreshed approach to in-school support has both empowered and resonated with teachers, leading them to marked improvements in teacher confidence and student disposition and performance.
Endorsements of Rob’s design from leading mathematical educators, and from a range of national and state awards for the impact of his initiatives on improving teachers’ content and pedagogical knowledge, helped position Rob as a highly influential change agent for positioning teachers as professional curriculum experts. Rob’s move to New Zealand in 2020 gave him further insights into the style of maths support teachers wanted from his experiences as a mentor and a Deputy Principal.
In 2021 he joined The Learner First team to work with Australian and New Zealand teachers on further developing their mathematical understandings to better promote well-being as a state of mind through self-understanding, connection, knowledge, and competency.
Teacher feedback indicates that Rob strengthened their professional judgments in the following ways:
- adapting resources to better cater to diverse needs,
- blending and balancing inquiry and explicit methods,
- creating diagnostic snap shots to inform planning
- remediating and preventing misconceptions, and
- designing and refining open ended tasks.
- Bringing key and cultural competencies to life through tasks
