Enriching the mathematics classroom: A visit to the virtual Island

Changing the way students perceive mathematics by enriching the classroom experience will assist in redirecting Australia's secondary school students into much needed mathematical and statistical pathways. This paper details a 12 month project that utilised an innovative online virtual world, known as the Island, to engage and educate secondary school students in the statistics components of the Australian mathematics curriculum. The project provided educators with innovative teaching resources that were piloted in Years 8 to 11 mathematics classrooms in the northern suburbs of Melbourne. The resources were designed to improve students' understanding of the role of statistics in scientific research and help develop their statistical skills.