Mathematics Teaching 162 - March 1998

Editorial - Barbara and Derek Ball

We would ensure that we broke comprehensively any ban of the sort Ted Wragg appears to advocate, simply to provide him with the research evidence he so woefully lacks.

Letters - Jon McKernan

One can easily construct charts in which females blatantly outperform males.

ATM discussion day - Sue Pope

It is important that tests value mental imagery and not just quick recall. Children need to have confidence in their own capabilities and a willingness to tackle any problem.

Back to basics or forward to the future? - Jo Boaler

It seems that the advantages and disadvantages of different mathematical teaching methods are more likely to be debated within national newspaper columns than school staff rooms these days.

Emergent mathematics - Maulfrey Hayton, Elizabeth Carruthers, Mary Wilkinson

Encouraging children to explore, talk and record in their own ways permits exploration of mental processes and underlying themes, allowing connections to be made with previous understanding.

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Mathematics, technology and mathematics education: some reflections - John Searl

Reflections on the nature of mathematics, the role of technology in mathematics and the role of mathematics in society.

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The concept of fraction among the Kraho Indians in Brazil - Eduardo Ferreira

My first contact with the Kraho Indians was during a development course for Indian teachers in the State of Tocantins in 1992 in the town of Formoso do Araguaia.

For the Classroom: But it's like... - Jean Melrose

Have you ever played the game I call Make IS? It is for two players and you need a set of cards numbered from 1 to 9. The cards are laid out face up on the table.

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All new traditional instant mathematics - Steven Downes

The 'quick fix, don't bother about understanding, drill it into the learners' approach, a dominant repressive discourse by any other name.

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Reflections on two lessons - Peter Sykes

I was somewhat alarmed by the students' feelings of insecurity and apprehension when I told them that they were telling me what to write and not vice versa, as if being in control of their learning was a new experience to them.

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Intensive mathematics course - Alison Clarke, Helen Lockwood et al

This type of lesson also encourages pupils to seek information learnt in other lessons to solve their current problem.

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Probably of no use - Bernard Kelly

His face was a picture and my day had suddenly been lifted. In acting on probability he had failed to notice that twenty-nine other pupils had also been 'playing' with paper aeroplanes!

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Reviews - ATM

The philosophy of mathematics education; Extending thought in young children: a parent-teacher partnership; Freedom to learn; Curriculum materials to support courses bridging the gap between GCSE; Teaching and learning algebra pre-19; Primary points of departure; Creative mathematics; Megamaths tables for 7-1O-year olds; Understanding mathematics in the lower primary years.

Personal View - Tony Harries

As we move towards the revision of the National Curriculum and think about developing pupils' numeracy, I hope that the focus will be on developing a clear perception of mathematics which in turn will help us to develop appropriate methods of sharing that perception.