Problem-solver, parent, pragmatic, pretty great at Mathematics, Ben Peacock. Meet Edrolo’s wonderful HSC Maths Advanced presenter, Ben. Teaching Mathematics for the last 13 years across Sydney and the Hunter region, Ben loves connecting with students over his love for maths and the outdoors. He’s an experienced leader and educator who brings a passion for practice and problem solving to his teaching - find out more about him here. 

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How would your students describe you?

Friendly.

Well dressed. 

Loud.

Energetic.

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What makes you excited about HSC Maths Advanced?

I love seeing how Mathematics upskills students for the problems they will solve in real life.  This isn't about using Trigonometry or Calculus in their day to day life, but about perseverance and finding creative ways to reach a solution. Mathematics is as much about thinking skills as it is about the actual concepts you are learning.  

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What led you to choose HSC Maths Advanced as your teaching specialisation?

When I finished school, teaching wasn't the direction I chose.  I wanted to become a physiotherapist, probably working in sports, but just missed the university cutoff for this course.  So I enrolled in the next closest course with the aim of transferring after a year.  At the end of that year I found that I didn't really want to transfer, but also found that at the end of my degree I didn't really want to work in what I had studied.  

Teaching is in my family; I have aunts, a sister and grandparents who have a teaching background, so when a few people close to me suggested I look into teaching, this is where I was drawn. I wasn't hooked by the university courses, but as soon as I stepped into a classroom I knew that I would enjoy this; I have never looked back and can always see myself working in schools in some capacity.  

My teaching major was Science, but I chose extra Mathematics courses so that I could pursue this subject, because it was always my favourite.  I had a number of exceptional Mathematics teachers at high school who shaped part of who I am as a professional today, as well as numerous colleagues over the past decade.  

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What's your top tip when it comes to studying for exams in HSC Maths Advanced?

Practice, practice, practice!  Any time I speak to my students, whichever Mathematics course they are studying, I always encourage them to be doing as many practice questions as they can.  

With so many wonderful past examinations available for revision, as well as Edrolo’s Progress Checks and Topic Tests, availability of resources is rarely the issue.  The more you are able to repeat a skill quickly and accurately in Maths Advanced, the better prepared you will be to tackle the familiar and unfamiliar.  

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Where would students use the skills they gain from studying HSC Maths Advanced in 'real life'?

In problem solving, so basically everywhere.  It's about how you think, not about the content being taught.  

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In your experience, what do students find the most challenging about HSC Maths Advanced, and how do you support them with this?

The benefit and problem with Maths Advanced is that it builds on the last idea you learned.  If you have that idea mastered, you are very well set up for the next idea. If not, and this is the problem for many students, the next idea will be even more challenging.  

I love the simple idea that strong foundations build a strong house, so starting with good basic skills in numeracy, writing a solution to a problem and finding multiple ways to solve a problem are always helpful. The other challenge with our courses is that they become more abstract as their difficulty increases. This just means we need to be even more creative in our thinking to press forward.  

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What do you see as a key benefit for students and/or teachers in using Edrolo?

Using Edrolo as a tool to upskill.  This might be reviewing a theory lesson or set of lessons, or watching the solutions to a progress check to find areas for improvement. Once you're at the halfway point (and beyond) in Year 12, you have seen most of what you need to learn.  From here, it's about making sure you have seen as many concepts and questions as possible and you have the confidence to approach them with accuracy.  The clear, structured and highly relevant Edrolo content makes this possible.  

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What's the funniest thing that's ever happened in your classroom?

In my first year of teaching I split my pants right down the mid-seam at lunch time.  I was too embarrassed to tell anybody and didn't have a change of clothes, so I had to staple them back together and stand up straight for the whole of my last lesson to make sure none of my students saw.  To this day I don't know if they didn't realise or were just too polite to say anything.

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If you were stranded on a desert island, and you could take one thing from each of the following categories with you, what would they be?

Meal: Infinite supply of pizza from the Oriental Hotel (a must visit in Newcastle)  

TV show: : I am just finishing the American series of The Office which is very high quality. Hard to go past Parks & Recreation. Or maybe a throwback to my childhood with The Simpsons.  

Music: I have a very eclectic taste so this one could be a little wild and varied.  Give me the top 100 songs of all time and I'll find plenty to fill the time.  

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If you weren't a teacher, what would you be? 

I would have loved to work in health or finance. I am fascinated by the human body and would still have loved to work with athletes in some capacity.  

I am also good with numbers so I always like the idea of finance too.

As I get older my interests are broadening, I’m studying for a Masters degree right now. Part of this is looking at politics and I am also upskilling myself in my understanding of educational law.  Maybe I will end up as a jack-of-all-trades (and master of none).  

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Best and worst things about teaching?

The people are the best. Students, colleagues, seeing students improve and grow over time, especially when this involves really applying themselves and persevering.  

The hardest thing is that it's a job that always involves people, and this means it's always going to be emotional and challenging, but that's where the reward lies too. It's a busy job, but I know for me the best far outweighs the worst.  

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What's your Roman Empire? 

Baseball. I love baseball. My office is filled with posters, a signed baseball bat from past students and a schedule for my favourite team (Toronto). I also love analytics and biomechanics, so it means there's no end to how much I could watch or read on any topic or player.  

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