The trouble with tricks:
From rules to reason in the primary mathematics classroom
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PRESENTED BY Dr Elise Van Der Jagt
In this session, Dr Elise van der Jagt explores why common “maths tricks” and shortcut rules often lead to misconceptions and expired understandings. She examines phrases like “just add a zero” or “multiplication makes bigger” and demonstrates how these oversimplifications hinder conceptual growth.
Participants will consider alternative approaches that emphasise place value, scaling, and relational thinking, and learn strategies to build deeper mathematical understanding. From the session you will gain practical ideas to replace misleading rules with reasoning-based teaching that sets students up for success across the primary years and beyond.
About Dr Elise Van Der Jagt
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Elise van der Jagt is passionate about primary mathematics education and supporting teachers to develop strong pedagogical practices. Elise’s research focuses on effective strategies for teaching key concepts such as fractions and place value, and she regularly shares her work through professional learning and conferences.
She currently lectures in Primary Mathematics Education at the University of Wollongong and works closely with schools to improve mathematics teaching. Elise is co-chair of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia’s Special Working Group on “Effective Pedagogies of Mathematics” and has been an organising member of the Illawarra and Campbelltown cluster of the Mathematical Association of NSW since 2019.
She regularly presents at mathematics education conferences across Australia and frequently facilitates professional learning sessions for teachers. She loves nothing more than helping educators build confidence and enthusiasm for teaching mathematics.
