Building student engagement, confidence and resilience in maths

Lighthouse Maths coach reflection: Aoife Cooksley  

St Joseph’s School Queens Park teacher Aoife Cooksley first became a Lighthouse Maths Coach in 2025 after completing the professional learning program in 2024. In her coaching role, Aoife supports the next cohort of Lighthouse Maths teachers to grow their confidence and skills in using problem solving and reasoning techniques to deepen students’ understanding of maths concepts. 

The power of questions  

Lighthouse Maths focuses on using problem solving techniques to develop a deeper understanding of maths concepts. Just as important as the correct answer is students’ ability to share their thinking with their peers – building skills in reasoning, communication and collaboration.  

Aoife said a more open-ended approach to questioning could be a challenge for teachers when they first started the Lighthouse Maths program. 

“It can be hard to move away from the closed questions and from telling students the answer when they have it incorrect,” she said.  

Aoife reflected that Lighthouse Maths has changed the way she voices questions to her students – and in response students have changed their approach too.  

“I am more aware of my questioning techniques and use open-ended questions that allow the students to share their knowledge and understanding without influencing them or guiding them to the answer,” she said.  

“A young student told me at the beginning of the year that they did not like my questions, because I was constantly asking them ‘How do you know that?’ or ‘Can you prove your answer to me?’  

“By the end of the year, this student was explaining their thinking and proving their answers before I even asked the questions.  

“It was amazing to see them change their approach to maths and start to move towards being able to explain and justify their answers.” 

Building student resilience 

Another element of Lighthouse Maths is the concept of productive struggle, with students being asked to tackle a challenging but achievable maths problem as a team. It requires students to persist through obstacles, resulting in deeper learning, developing the skills and confidence to tackle future challenges, and fostering a growth mindset. 

Aoife said letting go and allowing students to struggle without stepping in and telling them what to do was challenging at first.  

“However, over time it is extremely rewarding to see the change in students’ resilience and watch them work through the zone of discomfort to find their way and solve a problem,” she said. 

“They don’t give up as easily as they did in the past.  

“Explicit teaching still holds space in the classroom and is necessary, but Lighthouse Maths has taught me that there needs to be a balance of explicit teaching and allowing students a chance to explore and problem solve to enhance their learning.” 

Increased engagement and confidence  

Most notably, Aoife said students have shown an increased engagement in maths when they participate in Lighthouse Maths lessons. 

“Last year, we had a student say, ‘I feel like a genius!’ when their group was chosen to present their board to the class,” said Aoife.  

“It was a beautiful moment to see their joy about achieving in maths and their self-confidence bursting through. 

 “Another memorable moment comes from the opportunities I have had to work with other teachers and their students.  

“When students see me in the playground, they ask me when they can do another problem solving lesson.  

“It amazes me that the students are asking for maths lessons! 

 “Lighthouse Maths has brought fun into maths for our students!”  

This increase in confidence has also been felt by teachers.  

“Sometimes we lack confidence in maths ourselves, particularly in problem solving,” said Aoife.  

“The Lighthouse Maths program has allowed teachers to gain confidence in their ability to run quality problem solving lessons in their classrooms.”  

Graham Rees, Gelsa Dagostino, Aoife Cooksley, Anthea Borg

Learn how you can get involved in Lighthouse Maths  

With the support of Chevron Australia, the 12-month Lighthouse Maths program is provided free to a limited number of schools in the Perth metro region.  To learn more about the program and submit an Expression of Interest to take part in 2026, visit the Lighthouse Maths webpage.