Visiting Teaching Fellows

Scott Preskett:
"I have always enjoyed mathematics and the beauty of the underlying logic. Whilst a latecomer to the teaching of mathematics, I have always been involved in the application of mathematics in a professional sense, first as a Hydrographic Surveying Specialist officer in the Royal Australian Navy, and then a teacher in Hydrography at the University of Otago in New Zealand.

Nevertheless, I have been teaching mathematics in high schools for the last eleven years, with a particular focus on the senior courses. This Fellowship provides me with the opportunity to see what the high school students of today are heading for at university level, and how the current University staff approach the concept of teaching. 

This will help inform me as to how we high school teachers can best prepare students for their future studies and careers, and to better understand the widespread uses and applications of mathematics and the problem-solving skills that it develops." - February 2025 

Andrea Barkla:
"Since I was a little girl, I have always loved Mathematics. My passionate Year 8 Mathematics teacher inspired me to be a teacher, and as a result I have been passionately teaching Mathematics for more than half of my life, most recently at The Riverina Anglican College.

Teaching Mathematics over the years has taught me many things, but most importantly for me is that we need to be invested learners. Invested learners who are curious and seek to understand, are rigorous and open minded to different mathematical approaches and commit to developing a repertoire of learning habits and strategies which become our mathematical tool kit.

I am a strong believer that we are all lifelong learners, so when the opportunity came up to further develop my skill set and work with such an inspirational group of educators, I jumped at the chance despite knowing there will be challenges ahead at times.

At the moment, I am loving being soaked in higher level Mathematics. I look forward to working closely with the expertise in the School of Mathematics and Statistics and learning from the many new experiences throughout the year." - February 2024

Andrew Hwang:
"I have taught at several schools in the last three years, most recently at The King’s School. And every school I have been to, I heard through my colleagues about the Visiting Teaching Fellow role and the wonderful opportunity that the role presented. 

Having taught in high school for the better part of a decade and quite a few of my students going to UNSW and doing Mathematical degrees, I wanted to see for myself what the next step was for my students. 

So far, I love the environment and being surrounded by people passionate about maths! And immersing myself fully in mathematics all day, revisiting the concepts from my student days. 

This year will provide invaluable professional development and improve my teaching and the outcomes for my future students." - January 2023.

James Rutner:
"I have been a high school Mathematics teacher for the past four years. I taught at Rose Bay Secondary College, where my Head Teacher recommended that I apply for the position of Visiting Teacher Fellow.

I am interested in teaching at a higher level and the more rigorous form of Mathematics that can only be found at a university level, and having attended UNSW I knew the quality of Mathematics and teachers here were unbeatable.
I hope to spend this year developing my ability to teach Maths in new contexts, while also meeting other teachers and exploring my passion for Mathematics." - January 2023. 

Karen Man:
"Coming back to university has been like revisiting an old friend. There’s a lot to catch up on with the constantly changing university environment but also many things that are familiar. Similar to that awkward feeling of stepping back into a high school for the first time as a teacher, returning to university has been an interesting mix of being the newest person on campus, just like the first-year students, but also having to be the most experienced one as the person standing at the front of a lecture theatre.

As COVID restrictions ease, I have been fortunate to be back on campus and teaching some lessons face to face. The buzz on campus during O-Week and the (initial) excitement of moving from class to class is probably a very big change from what university life has been during the previous two years.

So far, I’ve really enjoyed getting back into doing the first-year mathematics and practicing skills that had been getting rusty. Returning as an educator has also added a dimension to this experience, where, not only am I relearning and recalling the skills and concepts, I am making considerations about how to communicate this level of mathematics effectively to students.

It is an honour to be working side by side with the professors and educators I looked up to so much during my undergraduate years. I hope to continue to instill a passion, excitement and love for mathematics in my students, just as my own educators were able to do for me." - April 2022

Ian Whiteway:
"Having met a few of the recent Teaching Fellows and read about the program, I realised that this was a rare opportunity. Not only could I refresh and extend my knowledge of a subject that I have enjoyed and taught for many years, but I could learn much from joining a distinguished and innovative school of mathematics and statistics.

My recent experience has been working with rural and remote secondary students online. In these COVID-affected times, I hope that this background might prove helpful to the education of tertiary students, some of whom remain scattered far afield.

So, part way through Term 1, I am already enjoying the challenge of developing and applying mathematical skills in a new context. For me, this is not just a subject that provides a language for other areas of scholarship, but one that helps us to appreciate the order and beauty in the Universe!" - March 2021

Amanda Michels:
"Maths has been a love of mine since a very smart secondary school teacher streamed me in that direction. I came to realise that Maths was not simply a subject for study, but in fact the foundation for life.

Mathematics underpins what we do and how we do it. It is a subject of both great mystery and profound revelation and is the foundation of humankind’s great progress. It is a privilege to teach it and the Fellowship at UNSW offers scope for a level of teaching not easily available elsewhere.

I am proud to offer a conduit to young people’s future through my efforts during the tenure of this Fellowship." - March 2020

Benjamin Bui:
"The Visiting Teaching Fellow position appealed to me as an opportunity to go revisit the rigour of mathematics at a university level to be better equipped to teach the more advanced concepts of high school mathematics.

Having only taught at high school for a short amount of time, I found myself missing the challenges and creative avenues offered by the undergraduate courses offered at UNSW, from which my love of mathematics came from.

I know that to continue to improve in my craft, I needed to ground myself in the foundations of mathematics and statistics. Some of the things I’ll be looking forward to are being surrounded by people who love maths and writing on chalkboards." - April 2019

Laure Helme-Guizon:
"I see being a Teaching Fellow as a fantastic opportunity to reconnect with University level maths. For me, it has been like getting back in touch with an old friend and realising how much you had missed them and how fun their company was! The best part is to be immersed in mathematics all day, either learning or revisiting concepts (or, but that’s just me, learning the English terms), or working on problems, or teaching, or helping students during consultation times.

I also love being surrounded by people who are passionate about maths! Having studied and taught mathematics in the French system, comparing how notions are taught in different countries has helped me gain a deeper understanding: What is each approach trying to achieve? What are pros and cons of each approach? What difference does it make in terms of Mathematics? I also feel that this year is the best possible preparation to teach the new syllabus in high school or to teach the first years of Uni in the future." - April 2018

Margaret Clemson joined us as our Visiting Teaching Fellow in 2017. She is a teacher at Kincoppal - Rose Bay School, an independent Roman Catholic early learning, primary and secondary day and boarding school. The school is predominantly for girls and is located in Rose Bay in Sydney.

Paul Hancock:
"There were two major driving forces behind my decision to apply for the Visiting Teaching Fellowship. The first came from a bit of personal history; it was a Visiting Teaching Fellow that in my first year at UNSW set the seed for me to ultimately become a teacher of mathematics. The second came from a realisation that the senior mathematics curriculum is set to change quite significantly in the next few years, with statistics being introduced throughout.

I realised this year would be a perfect time for me to revisit my university statistics, putting me in a prime position to help transition our local community of schools confidently into implementing the new curriculum. The chance to teach university level mathematics is both a daunting one and an exciting one; understanding is one thing, teaching others so that they too understand is another, something those of us who teach know well. I look forward to a challenging and rewarding experience." - March 2016

Geoff Carroll:
"As a high school mathematics teacher, the Visiting Teaching Fellow program presents a fantastic opportunity to re-engage with my undergraduate level maths, collaborate with academics on teaching and learning strategies, and build enduring links with one of Australia's leading centres for mathematics research and teaching. My goal this year is to establish a clear narrative for learning mathematics so that my future students will be able to put their learning not only in the context of what they already know but where it is taking them. Knowing how students will learn maths when they leave school will inform my approach to teaching them in their senior years, in much the same way that the senior mathematics curriculum forms my teaching of students in their junior years.

The School of Mathematics and Statistics has actively encouraged my participation in many excellent initiatives to increase student engagement in mathematics and genuinely values the insight a school teacher can bring to the table. As a means of professional development, I've no doubt that this experience will prove invaluable to the learning outcomes of my future students". - February 2015

Thanom Shaw:
"I have a book at home, that I bought when I was in London a few years ago, called 'Bridging the Gap to University Mathematics'. You see, my days of studying Mathematics at university seem long ago and this book was the beginning of the road to remembering the big ideas and the fine details of this amazing subject I love teaching so much. So when I found out about this incredible opportunity at UNSW, I simply knew I had to apply, and I was so fortunate to be supported whole-heartedly by SCEGGS, where I have been teaching for 9 years.

Spending 2014 immersed in studying and teaching university level Mathematics at UNSW is a bit of a dream come true for me and a professional development opportunity not so easy to come by. At the moment I am thoroughly enjoying going back to chalk and blackboards, and working with pen and paper, puzzling over proofs and thinking deeply about all things Mathematics. The university is about to come alive for the Autumn Semester, and gap bridged or not, I can't wait for it to get started". - March 2014

• Read a full interview with Thanom Shaw.

Derek Stokes:
"Whilst teaching at Sydney Girls High School in 2012 I was alerted to the position of Teaching Fellow at UNSW, and after some contemplation I felt compelled to apply. An opportunity to revisit university level mathematics and be paid at the same time was impossible to resist. I have been teaching in NSW schools for 15 years, and engaging with students at the next level up is the sort of professional development and challenge rarely available.

At this moment, I am studying algebraic and calculus concepts in preparation for my role as First Year Mathematics tutor. It is refreshing and insightful to momentarily return to the role of student. However, I am looking forward to passing on my skills and knowledge from March onwards". - February 2013