Mathematics Teaching 185 - December 2003

1-100 rules OK? - Ian Thompson

In a recent edition of Mathematics Teaching Midget Pasternak argued the case of the use of the 0-99 square with young children rather than the ubiquitous 1-100 square. I would like to take this opportunity to mount a defence in favour of the much maligned 1-100 square.

Time and place - guess where? - Kathleen Grant

I have my analogue watch and the sound is in the sky. Now I have to remember which part of my watch points to the sun is at the 12 or is it the little hand? Does it matter?

Not a member? Join or click to buy ‘Time and place’ for £3

"L'originalitat consisteix a retornar a l'origen" - Paula McLoughlin

Motivation is often increased in mathematics by the use of ICT and/or art. Curve stitching never ceases to impress pupils who have not seen the effect before - how do you get curves from straight lines.

Logo code as printed in this article (text file)

Trevor Fletcher's 'Curve Stitching with Logo' in response to this

Using dialogue - Rachel New

In preparing to teach speed to a Y10 intermediate class in a multicultural secondary modern, I was aware of the difficulty in getting students not only to follow a complex logical argument, but also to be able to reproduce it in a variety of different problem situations.

Not a member? Join or click to buy ‘Using dialogue’ for £3

Using ICT to teach mathematics - Claire Palmer

Planning to use graphic calculators. I located the class set of graphic calculators and a view screen so that the whole class would be able to see me inputting data and keep up with the data entry as we go along The lesson still needs to be taught and I'm determined to use ICT and I will succeed in trying out the lesson plans and ideas.

Not a member? Join or click to buy ‘Using ICT to teach mathematics’ for £3

The vulture and the mouse - John Hancock

the all-ability Y7 classes were due to do some work on rotations and angles. The material in the textbook seemed accessible and the scheme of work indicated how it could be differentiated

Not a member? Join or click to buy ‘The vulture and the mouse’ for £3

Subtraction comes first - Marjorie Gorman

at a recent meeting with some infant teachers will be talked about the importance of language in early mathematical development, we recognise the significance of accounting rhymes and songs were used we decided to try to match some of them to the numerous seat teaching framework.

Not a member? Join or click to buy ‘Subtraction comes first’ for £3

Plenaries: an NQT view - Lucy Whitehouse

I learnt to link my objectives to the plenary, I wrote to the objectives on the board of the pupils as questions and the plenary would be to go through them as a class It was always the same routine and with little focus.

Not a member? Join or click to buy ‘Plenaries: an NQT view’ for £3

When numbers had personalities - James Robinson

To 'do mathematics' means to think in a mathematical way space - space to logically and pick a problem and bring the tools you are comfortable with to bear upon it. if I can encourage pupils to think in this way I will see my methods are successful.

Not a member? Join or click to buy ‘When numbers had personalities’ for £3

Year 7 numeracy starters - Kate Collison

during my PGCE this year I was given time and encouragement to try out different activities, styles and strategies of teaching. I planned new Morrissey starters with Wife seven, spending two weeks with each of the four sets in turn. I decided from the outset to use the same starters with all four sets, varying the level and pace accordingly. I was surprised at some of the outcomes.

Not a member? Join or click to buy ‘Year 7 numeracy starters’ for £3

Problem-solving exercises - Justin Coad

at the 80 conference made me consider the different styles of problems that can be set and the successful strategies and requirements needed to solve them. They helped me reflect on my perceptions and experiences of mathematics in the classroom. The idea of developing a 'collaborative' culture within a classroom was highlighted for me.

Not a member? Join or click to buy ‘Problem-solving exercises’ for £3

What I don't get about play is... - Siobhan Skeffington

If I am with my children and intervening in their play, they seem to be doing something useful, but left to their own devices they just muck about.

Working on word problems - Richard Barwell

what is the purpose of asking students to solve word problems? to learn to use mathematics in real-life contexts? to solve must decipher both the surface meaning and the underlying task - many students find interpreting and solving word problems difficult.

Not a member? Join or click to buy ‘Working on word problems’ for £3

Fasten your seat belts - Thomas O'Brien and Judy Barnett

In the classroom tryouts of these activities we had no idea what was going to happen next. This is uncharted territory for us. We hope the reader will do the activities rather than merely read them. In this case the reader is advised to fasten a seatbelt

Not a member? Join or click to buy ‘Fasten your seat belts’ for £3

The Soroban - Kimie Markarian

Unlike the Abacus in Europe, the Soroban did not disappear with the introduction of Arabic numerals. In 1938 the newly structured Soroban was introduced into Japanese primary schools. By this time Arabic numerals were more widely used and a second person was no longer necessary.

Not a member? Join or click to buy ‘The Soroban’ for £3

Reflections - Jeremy Burke

A comment which seems to be frequently made by teachers is that they do not have enough time to engage in 'nice' explanations or activities with pupils because of the current pressure of exam syllabuses. Added to this are the pressures of OfSTED surveillance, league tables, and the Framework. I recognise that these pressures might have different motivations, but after a while a pressure is a pressure and differentiating between them can become problematic...

Noticeboard

News and things...

Professional Officer's Update - Barbara Ball

In August I went back in time to when I was taking my O-levels in the late fifties. I played the role of the Chief Examiner in the Channel 4 TV programme "That'll Teach 'Em". The teacher who taught pupils 'fifties-style' mathematics for four weeks thought that teaching the pupils to do complicated arithmetic was a priority.

Geometer's Sketchpad Files to accompany the Professional Officer's Update

Reviews

Reasoning, Explanation and Proof in School Mathematics and their place in the intended curriculum. Proceedings of the QCA International Seminar 4-6 October 2001; A Comparative Study of Algebra Curricula; A Comparative Study of Geometry Curricula; Off the Path Math with Tobbs; Maths Now! GCSE Intermediate 2; According to the Book; Guide to Abstract Algebra; The A to Z of Mathematics – A Basic Guide; Key Aspects of Teaching Algebra in Schools; KS3 Maths Classbook Teaching Resource; KS3 Maths Classbook Framework Edition; Gamma: Exploring Euler’s Constant.