Mathematics Teaching 178 - March 2002
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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MT178 is dedicated to Ray Hemmings, Editor 1983-1987
MT178 Contents
Reflections - Sue Gifford
Recently, I have been reflecting about what makes activities mathematically engaging to very young children. Young children’s responses are informative, because they wear their hearts on their sleeves more than older students; they show their excitement at big numbers by jumping up and down and when they are bored they simply leave.
A tale of two cylinders - Maria Goulding
Understanding general principles can help keep memorisation to a minimum and give pupils (and student teachers) the means to check half remembered formulae.
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Obituary - Laurie Buxton
He was genuinely interested in how each of us learned mathematical ideas. Learning mathematics this way was a revelation and an inspiration.
Proof – a bit of geometry - Geoff Faux
Imagine a 3, 4 5 right angle triangle. Now draw the inscribed circle inside it. What is the radius of this circle likely to be?
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Making connections at key stages 2 and 3 - Julian Williams and Julie Ryan
Making incorrect connections lies at the heart of the difficulties many children have with mathematics; yet it is this very need to make connections that drives learning.
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Which equals . . .? - Beth Foster
Why is it then that, a year hence, I know I will run into all sorts of difficulties when these girls tackle proof formally for the first time?
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Questions, reflections, messages - Harrie Broekman and Agata Hoffmann
Students become less dependent on the teacher as the source of knowledge and learn to rely on their own strengths if they are given the proper opportunities.
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Fantastic frogs! - Kym Scott
Number rhymes can be used in many exciting and different ways to support the early learning goals for mathematics. The rhyme ‘five little speckled frogs’ provided the theme for this display, which was set up in Lewisham’s professional development centre. It provides a range of ideas, which would help develop young children’s mathematical learning within the foundation stage.
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ATM working groups
Reports from the Early Childhood Mathematics Group and the Key Stage One and Two Working Group.
Fractals with Word - Jim Milner, Cris Hodgson, Kate Moore and Vicky Wheatley
This work follows and builds on our studies of ‘patchwork’ geometric algebra last year. We have enjoyed playing with these shapes. We hope your pupils will too.
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An apology to Claudia Zaslavsky
We are very sorry that this acknowledgement was missing from the article Making mathematics culturally relevant by Patricia Moyer in MT176.
Off to Disneyland! - Paula Ross
The crunch came when each group had to randomly select the envelope containing their budget (£800, £1000 or £1500).
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The importance of trialling - Sheila Ebbutt
Something always happens in a game that you don’t think of when you write the instructions. Although adults working with young children have to be endlessly flexible and quick witted, it helps to have predicted some tricky moments.
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Whose words? - Richard Barwell
You might ask: Who is Mrs Patel? What are milkshakes? Why does she buy 4 milkshakes but only 3 sandwiches? Where does she get such cheap milkshakes? Why doesn’t the shop assistant work out the cost on the till?
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Making the most effective use of homework - Stephen Alexander
What role does homework have in advancing pupils’ mathematical achievement, and how can I, as a teacher, set homework tasks that complement the work done in class?
Developing algebraic thinking - Jack Carter, Beverly Ferrucci and Ban-Har Yeap
In order to make calls for algebra-for-all students a reality in mathematics classrooms, teachers need to rethink their current practices and teach using paradigms that empower reasoning processes.
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Words into mathematics - Jaiwant Timotheus
As teachers we need the confidence and perhaps the time, to try to investigate mathematical situations with pupils that are unfamiliar to us as well as to them.
How to draw patterns without calculators - Lucy Cartwright
When drawing a pattern without calculators, firstly choose the word you wish to draw.
Letter - Bob Burn
Years of teaching have convinced me that axiomatic treatments are at best an acquired taste, and at worst dictatorial pronouncements. Humane approaches are worth searching for.
Words with... - Barbara Ball
ATM will be able to have a decisive influence on what happens in the next few years.
