Teaching Mathematics in Primary Schools

Every chapter reeks of intellectual integrity, a strong knowledge of pertinent research literatures, and the wisdom of practice.'

From the foreword by Professor Ken Clements, co-founder of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia (MERGA)

Primary teachers need support in improving their mathematical thinking and knowledge, and in their planning for their pupils' learning, set in the context of the 21st century and in the wealth of research from around the world. This book does all of that.'

Steve Lerman, Professor of Mathematics Education at London South Bank

University, UK

This important new book is full of good ideas for maths teachers at all levels '

Associate Professor Jo Boaler, Stanford University, USA

It is refreshing to find a methods text where there is clear recognition that teaching mathematics in the primary school is about children as well as their learning of mathematics.'

Graham A. Jones, Emeritus Professor, Griffith University, Australia and Illinois State University, USA

Teaching Mathematics in Primary Schools moves beyond traditional lock-step approaches to teaching mathematics to emphasise how students can learn to think mathematically in the new times' of globalisation and a technology-rich society.

Based on current international research, the book focuses on learning outcomes and the general principles that underlie educational practices rather than any specific curriculum. Current approaches to mathematics education are explained and critiqued, and insights into why some students have difficulties with mathematics are provided. Teachers are shown how to encourage their students to develop deep learning in mathematics, and to relate mathematics to the rest of the curriculum.

The authors firstly examine the philosophy behind mathematics and its impact on curriculum design, the history of learning outcomes, and theories on how students learn mathematics. They then present the key areas of mathematics teaching in detail: number, chance and data, measurement, space, and algebra. In each area, the emphasis is on problem solving. Finally, they discuss practical classroom issues such as the trend towards developing students' capacity to think mathematically, broad approaches to teaching mathematics, planning for a whole school approach to mathematics, diversity and access, and assessment, reporting and evaluation.

Accompanied by a website, and with practical activities that can be implemented in the classroom, this book is an invaluable text for pre-service teacher education students.