Today, I had an introductory tutorial on mathematics; it’s importance in the curriculum, why we need to learn it and the different ways we can involve children in understanding mathematics.

Fortunately for me, mathematics is a subject which comes quite naturally to me and I believe that I am quite good at it. I would even say that I enjoy it! I hope that my enjoyment of mathematics reflects when I am teaching so that my class are motivated to learn it. However, one thing I am worried about is the whole process of having to take a subject which is second nature to me, and to put it into words so that children who are hearing it for the first time can understand. This is something I will have to continuously reflect on and plan effectively.

One thing which really stood out for me in the tutorial is the importance of the support of the teacher and discussion. It is a shame to hear that parents whose skills don’t lie in mathematics assume that it is a genetic thing and so they tell their kids that they won’t be any good at it either. Teachers have to work to beat these barriers, and to make sure every child has the equal opportunity to understand and to thrive in mathematics, regardless of what their family believes. It is important that teachers are flexible to explain a particular aspect of maths in different ways to suit different learner’s needs. I remember when I was doing my AS Level maths in high school, I struggled a lot at the start of the year because even though I enjoyed maths, it was quite a jump from just doing normal maths at GCSE to AS Level. It didn’t help as well that the rest of the class (bar one) had done additional mathematics at GCSE, and so they took to the AS Level maths like a duck to water. This made me feel quite inadequate and frustrated. However, my maths teacher made sure to always check that the other non-add-maths girl and I understood, she explained things over and over again, gave us extra work for practice and even held a class in one of our free periods to go over things. I don’t know if it was the way she explained things, or her enthusiasm and love for maths, or just her belief in us, but as the year went on I understood things a lot better and my maths grades started to improve. I am so proud to say that I went from getting E’s and D’s at the start of the year, to getting a B in my final AS result. I know I couldn’t have done it without the support of my teacher and for how she kept motivating us to keep going through the hard work.

Especially in primary school mathematics, I think that it is so important that teachers bring maths to life. This is done by fully involving children in their learning. Teachers could plan lessons which make the children imitate using maths in everyday life, for example, setting up an imaginary shop and getting the children to count their money. They should use different resources, such as aesthetically pleasing worksheets and practical counters. They could play different mathematical games with their class, so that they are learning but having fun at the same time.

I also noted the importance of discussion in mathematics. Reflecting on my experience through school, I don’t believe enough time was given to discussing mathematics. It is through this that children can describe their methods, and so develop a deeper understanding. They can also see how they went wrong and so learn from their mistakes. By talking to their partner, they can learn from each other. If they both are struggling with something I believe it makes them feel less isolated and so they are less likely to feel as mathematically incompetent if someone else also doesn’t understand. This also may give them the confidence to ask for help, as it can be quite intimidating sticking your hand up in front of a silent class. I have really taken this into account and so when I am a teacher, I want to give my class the time at the end of a maths lesson to discuss with each other what they understood about it and where they struggled. Then they can feedback this back to me, and so I can then decide if a topic needs gone over again or if it is okay to move on.

I conclusion, I believe that maths is a vital subject for our children to learn, and so it is up to us as teachers to beat the myths and anxiety surrounding it. I could not summarise it better than this quote from ‘Mathematics explained for Primary Teachers’ by Derek Haylock and Ralph Manning;

“Learning experiences for children in mathematics should ensure that children enjoy learning mathematics, by providing opportunities to: (a) experience the sense of pleasure that comes from solving a problem or a mathematical puzzle: (b) have their curiousity stimulated by formulating their own questions and investigating mathematical situations; (c) play small-group games that draw on mathematical skills and concepts; (d) experiment with pattern in numbers and shapes and discover relationships for themselves; and (e) have some beautiful moments in mathematics where they are surprised, delighted or intrigued.”