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Mathematics Teaching 172 - September 2000
Mathematics Teaching is the journal of the Association of Teachers of Mathematics. It is a professional journal sent to all members of the Association. It is not a refereed journal. Submissions are reviewed by the editorial team. Many articles have additional information or associated files placed on the journal website. To make your views known go to the ATM forum add your views, ideas and comments.
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MT172 Contents
Editorial
Young people have an entitlement to education, and such education should not be at the whim of their teacher - but nor should it be at the whim of the Government.
Letters
The mystery of mathematics solved?
Laurie Buxton's polygon problem
Numeracy test
Subtraction and SATs
Follow the US and you’ll turn out parrots trained only for tests.
"I like school, but there's no time to do anything" - Helen Williams
Last week, I felt inspired. I spent a day in Exeter and viewing the exhibition of children's work from preschools in Italy and today in Penzance listening to two Phrygia immediate educators talk about their work in philosophy. I came out with my heart soaring from both experiences. But this week I feel rather depressed and am asking myself why
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Serious learning, funny mathematics and mathematical fun - Mike Ollerton
An important aim in teaching mathematics is to make it accessible. Access is achieved in different ways were different people; challenge and pleasure. This article explores ways of helping to make the learning of mathematics accessible.
A first lesson with a Year 7 class, mixed ability - Alf Coles, Jan Winter and Laurinda Brown
Laurinda Brown interviewed Alf Coles shortly after his first Y7 lesson in September 1999, and transcribed the tape. What do you do in your first lessons of the year? What is this the same, and what's different? We'd like to know.
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Sea changes in mathematics education - Ruth Merttens and Darrell Wood
It is our contention that the NNS embodies quite significant, and far-reaching, changes, but only to pedagogy, but also to our beliefs and assumptions about how children learn maths.
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Developing student teachers' understanding of algebra and proof - Maria Goulding, Jennifer Suggate and Olwyn Crann
It became clear to us that a large number of students were expressing concern about the topics of algebra and proof. Feelings sometimes ran high in these sessions, and we suspected that the emotional response to both these areas was a significant factor in the expressions of difficulty.
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Opening talk at ATM Easter Conference - Jan Winter
When thinking about how to interpret the theme of this year's conference, I was finding it difficult until I thought that perhaps I could think about my dreams about what mathematics education could and should be about. Mechanistic demands is one side of the story, the other is that the personal and moral issues and those of citizenship in particular.
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Closing talk at ATM Easter Conference - John Hibbs
mathematical education' is dreams, visions, myths, legends and folklore - and a few heroes for good measure.
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The numeracy hour: a method of coping from a position of failing in mathematics - Kim Baker and David Eldridge
As headteacher of a medium-sized rural primary school, I knew we had a problem in the delivery about attics. The children were not obtaining, and I felt maths lessons were boring. I wanted to look at how we cope with externally imposed change and used the [daily maths lesson] as my medium.
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Times-table practice - Kimie Markarian
in Japan Times table has traditionally been practised parrot fashion, by reciting the tables over and over. It has always been my belief that Times tables should be practised regularly until the responses are automatic.
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Twenty-five years ago
We suggested local school-based, regional and national organisations to work at problems of teaching mathematics in a spirit of self-help and using whatever knowledge and skill was around in the most appropriate ways.
Issues involved in teaching and learning mathematics - Kate Ravensdale
I became aware of the issue of collecting a variety of the answers that a class has worked out to a given question. The situation of one child explaining to another and children correcting each other's mistakes are incredible learning tools. The child who understands the basic concept is able to gain greater insight to having to verbalise her ideas.
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Not for the Classroom - Jonathan MacKernan
There are many meanings behind the words 'use data'. Why should this be so? After all, the data can be obtained by anyone who looks great, and, critically it is true and it is important in human terms.
A snappy start to a mathematics lesson - Sue Cramp and Elena Nardi
This article is about the impact of Snappies on pupils' performance and their perceptions of mathematics.
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Continuity, coherence and curricular entitlement - Paul Andrews and Anne Sinkinson
If we believe what we are told, teachers in some countries make a better job of teaching maths than those in Britain and America. Studies have been fascinating in their highlighting of common practices in those countries were teaching of mathematics is thought to be successful.
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That's a very good question! - Jan Einar Nordgreen
A transcription of the interaction between pupils and a teacher working towards a geometric solution.
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Student-generated examples - Anne Watson and John Mason
Y10 students were asked to create their own examples of linear equations with the unknown on each side. They were asked to start with a statement of the value of ex-and, using the rule 'do the same to both sides' build up an equation at the desired kind.
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Metaphor, metonymy and mathematical understanding - Richard Barwell
Had began at a prestigious. But the final year, I felt completely lost. The first time in my life I could not do mathematics A natural mathematician this is quite a strange experience. To many people it is depressingly familiar.
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The campaign for beautiful solutions - Jim Milner
I argue for a radical change to our school maths curriculum. Maths seems to have lost some of its elegance and beauty. There is an alternative to our present teaching methods. There is geometry and algebra. We could return to our roots, but the homely symbolic geometry of Pythagoras and Li Hui which provides a natural steppingstone to algebra.
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Area and shape in Year 5 - John Gardiner
A description of a lesson and some discussion of background reading for an introductory look at area. I tried to promote an atmosphere of helping each other and I was not surprised at all the groups worked well together taking turns to record and hold up the boards.
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Avon local branch news - Richard Barwell, Howard Millbank and Alf Coles
What happens in 4X4 grids in n dimensions, with a row of four winning, or a row of three? Or other sized grids and rows? Or rectangular grids? Or triangular isometric grids, now that would be interesting...I wonder if it is too late to hand in that investigation again?
Reviews
Issues in teaching numeracy in primary schools - Ian Thompson (Editor)
'...No royal road to geometry' - Pennington, Eileen and Faux , Geoff
Personal View - David Eldridge
Teaching children how to use data to maximise effect is a skill that good teachers are promoting in our schools now. The key is balance; after all, know your enemy.
