Mathematics Teaching 212 - Jan 2009
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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MT212 Contents
Editorial
You will notice if you are reading this, that Reflections have been replaced by an editorial. This is one of a small number of changes that we have made to this, the first issue put together by the new editorial team.
Reflections on editing MT 2005–2008 - Colin Foster
Colin Foster found that editing MT influenced his classroom practice.
From mathematics to mathematics-with-ICT - Jay Timotheus
Jay Timotheus suggests a framework for developing lesson ideas involving variation.
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ICME11 Report - Geoff Faux
The 11th International Congress on Mathematical Education, Monterrey, Mexico, July 2008 began with, “What do we now know that we didn’t know 10 years ago?”
Explaining the cross-multiplication algorithm - Yuichi Handa
Many high-school mathematics teachers have likely been asked by a student, “Why does the crossmultiplication algorithm work?”
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A bit of magic - Sue Forsythe
I wrote down the discussion we had before I forgot it, and left it in my drawer. Every so often I found it again and when I reread it I would get a warm glow!
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Changing the diameter of a viewing tube - Samuel Obara
Samuel Obara documents the results of his students’ results when posed a ‘real’ problem.
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Finger counting in a Japanese style - Kimie Markarian
What is the highest number that you can count up to using your fingers? 10 with both hands? Using the Japanese system 1 – 9 (UNITS) can be counted on just one hand.
Sums of decagonal numbers using cubes - Hasan Unal
Hasan Unal gives pupils boxes of different-coloured plastic cubes and asks them to model the terms of a series and find a shape for the sum. Then they need to turn the final shape into known shapes so that they can calculate the sum.
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Badge of honour - Jonny Griffiths
Jonny Griffiths describes the rational for using Rich Starting Points (RISPs) in his classroom and opposite provides an example for you to try.
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Provocation - Two Old Men
This demented pursuit of targets has resulted in a dispirited profession with many teachers now talking only of the levels needed for test success.
Problem: to divide by 8 - Hasan Unal
Hasan Unal considers both an algebraic and visual proof.
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Response to Rose - George Knights
The response of the Association of Teachers of Mathematics (ATM) to the publication of The Independent Review of the Primary Curriculum, December 2008 (the Rose report)
CMathTeach: Update - Margaret Jones
The Privy Council have now agreed to a change in the rules governing the awarding of the IMA’s Chartered Mathematician designation.
What makes a rich task? - Pete Griffin
As learners, professional learners ourselves it is right that we don’t just accept, but question what a rich task is and why we should value them.
Polygons and their circles - Paul Stephenson
Paul Stephenson continues playing with Francis Lopez-Real’s cyclic and tangential polygons.
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Algebra – I just don't get it - Alan Graham and Suki Honey
“...this was a fantastic, life-changing course which has really taken my perception of ‘mathematics-in-the-classroom’ and made it into ‘mathematics-for-life’.”
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Puzzles for 2009 - Alan Parr
If you drink a cup of tea every day how old will you be...?
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Fixed or growth – does it matter? - Clare Lee
I heard a head of mathematics say with some emphasis that when she applied for a job she felt that she had to say that she recognised no ceiling on the amount that pupils could achieve in mathematics.
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From the front – Here we go again - James Dawe
The mythology is that on arrival in ‘big school’ mathematics will be difficult, taught by strict and unfriendly teachers, with homework that will take for ever, after a very short while you will forget what success felt like, and as for enjoyment...
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MTi - Lyndon Baker and Douglas Butler
In July next year, Mathematics Teaching is going interactive and web-based. Which, considering the success of our website, is understandable in the present day. So what does MTi really mean?
