Mathematics Teaching 209 - Jul 2008

Net gains - David Fielker

David Fielker muses on some problems from the Easter conference.

Thoughts on the 2008 conference from an NQT - Christopher Martin

Jumping up and down in your chair and then realising you were counting in binary

Is maths magic? - Mike Askew

Perhaps that's why people link maths and magic. They're actually linking magicians and mathematicians

It ain't what you do; it's the way that you do it - Barbara Ball

A person behind us leant forward in order to point out how we should be thinking about the problem. Why did it feel so uncomfortable and irritating?

Theorem of mystery: Part 2 - Francis Lopez-Real

In the second of his two-part series, Francis Lopez-Real offers some reflections on and solutions to 'The mystery theorem' described in MT208.

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Having fun with Google Earth - Douglas Butler

Douglas Butler believes that teaching with dynamic images (from software and the web) makes mathematics lessons more effective, more efficient and a lot more fun.

Reasoning with dice - Hasan Unal

Hasan Unal describes some interesting spatial visualisation tasks involving dice.

Hasan Unal's dice activity sheets

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Rich discussions by 7- and 8-year-olds - Carol Kohlfeld

Carol Kohlfeld describes how she encourages her pupils to talk, discuss, think and explore equations.

Mathematical games: Skill + Luck = Learning - John Parsons

John Parsons describes how he invents engaging classroom games to generate learning.

Website here - click 'resources' when you get there

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Creating spaces that are communication-friendly - Elizabeth Jarman

Elizabeth Jarman describes ways in which the physical learning environment can support young children's mathematical communication.

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Using concept cartoons - John Dabell

John Dabell describes how he uses 'visual disagreements' to advance his learners' understanding of mathematics.

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Doing time - Rona Catterall

Telling the time is not an easy skill to teach. Rona Catterall describes a different way to start.

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A richer understanding of algebra - Michelle Foy

Michelle Foy tries the ATM Grid Algebra software with her Year 7 pupils.

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Conditions for learning: Part 4 - Paul Andrews and Judy Sayers

In the fourth article in their series, Paul Andrews and Judy Sayers describe what mathematics teachers actually teach in four European countries.

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Figurate HCFs and LCMs - Paul Stephenson

If we attempt the reverse and try to use the properties of numbers to tell us something about the properties of shapes, we hit a snag.

Paul Stephenson's answers

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Keeping them on their toes - Roy Grice

I was told not to allow children to use their fingers

Square roots - Cosette Crisan

Positive or negative?

An ode to maths - Doug Brand

For maths we only have an hour...It's so much more pragmatic

Reflections - Catherine Scarlett

I am going to use more tasks where students have to argue, get stuck and work together.

Letter - David Fielker

Francis Lopez-Real's article in MT208 presented an intriguing theorem. My first thought was, what's special about equilateral triangles?

17 Correlation Street - Jonny Griffiths

So the man became a mathematics teacher. It took him a while to find his nîche. He discovered along the way that sometimes sharing his love of maths with students was not entirely straightforward...

Webwatch - Rebecca Teasdale

Most schools now have broadband and projectors which means we can explore online video.

Letter - Bob Burn

It was fascinating to read Dick Tahta's lesson introducing exponentials to a sixth form.

Scotlines

How to grow a teacher. I know there is a great deal to be learned from other teachers, and sometimes simply copying them can be an excellent strategy.

News from ATM

The Continuous Professional Development (CPD) Task Group and news from the website.

Puzzle page

Paul Stephenson is operations director of the Magic Mathsworks Travelling Circus.