• More than one-in-three Australian secondary maths teachers are teaching ‘out-of-field’, yet most don’t want to retrain, just support their students 
• Qualitative data from Charles Sturt University’s federally-funded microcredential reveals diverse motivations and needs of out-of-field maths teachers
• A new Victorian Government-funded program removes the usual barriers to professional learning 

A national shortage of maths teachers is shaping a new teacher education initiative in Victoria based on research by Charles Sturt University.

Across Australia, thousands of teachers are walking into maths classrooms every day without ever having planned to. They are covering vacancies due to illness, doing colleagues a favour, or simply saying ‘yes’ because nobody else will.

As one teacher put it plainly, “It’s important for people to know that teachers working out-of-field often volunteer to do so because there is no one else.”

Thirty-eight per cent of Australia’s secondary maths teachers are teaching out-of-field.

Working ‘out-of-field’ means they have little or no training in the subject. Much of the national conversation about this focuses on one solution ─ retraining – to upskill the out-of-field teacher and put them on a pathway to becoming a mathematics teacher.

But qualitative data from teachers enrolled in Charles Sturt University’s federally-funded ‘ Mathematics for out-of-field teachers’ microcredential (now in its second year) tells a more complicated story.

The majority of these teachers do not identify as maths teachers. They do not want to become maths teachers. What they want is to do right by the students in front of them, right now, in a subject they did not choose to teach.

Designing professional learning around retraining misses them entirely, and in doing so, misses the students they are teaching.

What these teachers consistently ask for is different - more confidence in the classroom, more connection with others navigating the same challenge, less ‘imposter syndrome’ and more practical support. The chance to learn from colleagues who understand what it feels like to stand in front of a Year 9 class and try and make sense of quadratic equations alongside their students.

That insight is shaping a new initiative in Victoria in which Charles Sturt University, in partnership with the Victorian Department of Education, is delivering the Mathematics Education Micro Credentials (MEMC).

This is professional learning designed specifically for Victorian government teachers wanting to strengthen their mathematics teaching, whether they are out-of-field or simply wanting to teach the subject with more confidence.

The program is led by Dr Janelle Hill, Lecturer in Mathematics Education in the Charles Sturt  Faculty of Arts and Education, whose approach cuts to the heart of what out-of-field teachers really need.

“This isn’t about turning every teacher into a mathematics specialist nor does it ask teachers to reinvent their professional identity,” Dr Hill said.

“It’s about giving teachers the content knowledge, the pedagogical tools, and the confidence to walk into that classroom and genuinely connect students with the mathematics in front of them - and to enjoy doing it.

“When teachers feel genuinely supported, they stay in the profession and grow within it, and  that positively impacts students.”

The program is distinctively designed. Sessions are face-to-face, because the research is clear that collegial connection during a program sustains teachers long after it ends.

Participation happens during school hours, with schools funded for a relief teacher when a participant attends. There is no expectation that teachers give up evenings or weekends. Regional and rural teachers can access travel reimbursement.

For more information about the Mathematics Education Micro Credentials, visit www.schools.vic.gov.au/mathematics-education-micro-credentials or email  MEMC@csu.edu.au.

Expressions of Interest (EoI) also remain open for rolling intakes across 2027 and 2028. Teachers who are not ready to commit to the July intake can still register an EoI for future intakes.