Grafton school teacher hooks kids on maths
See how Grafton teacher Holly Millican is transforming the way maths is being taught and she’s gaining fame along the way.
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South Grafton High School teacher Holly Millican is the toast of the coast after being named the Rising Star of the Year at the prestigious Australian Education Awards.
The already celebrated teacher has gained fame by using out-of-the-box methods to get children tuned in to maths.
With a mission statement to ‘make maths fun’ – Ms Millican uses games, team-based learning and interactive techniques to engage her charges.
Despite the Covid disruptions of the past year, the Southern Cross University alumnus has kept student engagement high in the classroom and during home learning - introducing mathematical escape rooms and mathematical murder mysteries in both settings.
The annual Australian Education Awards is a leading independent event for the primary and high school education sector, showcasing top-performing schools, principals, department heads and teachers.
Ms Millican studied education at Southern Cross University’s Lismore campus, graduating in 2018 and landing a permanent position at South Grafton High School.
She soon made her mark with innovative teaching methods - all while studying her Master of Education in student wellbeing and school leadership online through Southern Cross.
Her mathematics enrichment tutoring program was aimed at students who struggle with basic mathematical concepts, by providing them with types of mathematics that are regionally relevant and can be used in real life outside of school.
She started with two students, before the program expanded to five teachers and nearly 30 students in the space of two terms.
In 2019 Ms Millican received international attention when she received a Learning Edge Teaching Practice Award at Google HQ in Sydney. The award was a joint initiative between NSW Department of Education and Teachers Mutual Bank in partnership with international giants YouTube and Google, and included workshops with famous maths youtuber Eddie Woo.
“I would not be able to do all of the things that I do without the amazing teachers I work with in my faculty at South Grafton High School,” Ms Milllican said.
“Their constant support and encouragement have enabled me to implement all the changes I’ve made at my school, that are transforming the way we teach maths to make it fun and exciting and engaging, and get the kids excited to learn.
“Winning this award is an absolute privilege and I cannot wait to continue my work with changing the way we teach mathematics.”
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