Chair: Ms Jan Thomas, Australian Mathematical Sciences Council.
Biographical note: Jan studied science at the
University of Adelaide and later qualified
as a teacher at
La Trobe University.
After teaching in inner-suburban schools in Melbourne she
developed an interest in non-English Speaking Background (NESB) students.
This then led to further qualifications in teaching English as a Second Language (ESL)
and to various consultancy, curriculum-development
and policy positions in the
Department of Education, Victoria. In 1988 she was a visiting scholar at the
University of Utah.
Following this she obtained a position lecturing in Mathematics Education at the
Victoria University of Technology.
Jan's research interests involve linguistic and cultural effects on mathematics
learning and the politics of mathematics education.
Jan is now President of the
Australian Mathematical Sciences Council.
