Essential Ingredients

Published in Mathematics Teaching September 2005

Page 4/4

The situation for able mathematicians is different and the activities provided for them by extension classes, go beyond and above what is suggested in the NNS. I suggest that these are also suitable for all children to grow and develop ideas. One child in the group had a special needs statement and could neither read nor write and yet he gained much respect from his peers from being able to access these types of activities in mathematics class.

Finally

From my own experience I can say that most people have absolutely no idea about the meaning of mathematics. Most children seem to have the view that mathematics as a series of tasks and skills with little or no connection to each other. The NNS consolidates this idea, with the focus on skills rather than on what binds them together. It is no wonder that people are put off mathematics. This was brought home to me, when teachers in a school I had previously worked at, decided to get rid of some older text-books that they were not using anymore. I was interested and amazed to see what they were discarding. Everyone discarded the textbooks entitled ‘using and applying mathematics’ because they felt they were not applicable any more. Teachers themselves need to have a greater and deeper understanding of what mathematics is about, only then will the situation begin to be addressed. Mathematics needs to come much higher up the agenda, with provision for further creative training for teachers being made.

We are told there is a dearth of mathematicians in our culture because of ‘ mathematics anxiety’. No other subject is taught so quantitatively, often with an absence of meaning. We need to get back again to basics and ask why we are teaching mathematics at all. The children themselves see differences in approach. They observe the contrast between the skills-based lesson and the situation where they as individuals drive the learning, or at least make some choices. They have shown that they like to be in charge of their learning.

The essential ingredients for mathematics teaching are:

• A good grasp of basic number skills.
• Understanding in all mathematics areas, including shape, space, etc.
• Using and applying basic skills.
• Problem solving.
• Open-ended independent investigative work.
• Analysis of what has been done.
• Creative opportunities for original work.
• Evaluating your own and others work.

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