Autism is a neural development disorder which impairs one's ability to socialise, communicate, process sensory information, and those with autism experience restricted interests and repetitive behaviours. These signs all begin before three years of age and the child may have difficulty with organising their responses, with inhibition of repetitive…

The aversion that many girls and boys experience towards mathematics has been one of the author's major concerns since he started teaching. In this article, he describes a project called "Numbers Day" that was designed to improve students' attitudes toward mathematics. There are many features of Numbers Day that teachers might incorporate into…

A considerable body of research exists on students' understanding of decimal fractions and the prevalence and persistence of common misconceptions related to this understanding. Results from major studies such as the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in the United States and the Concepts in Secondary Mathematics and Science (CSMS)…

As part of the Contemporary Teaching and Learning of Mathematics Project (CTLM), the mathematics education team at Australian Catholic University has the privilege of working with principals, teachers, students, and parents in schools in the Melbourne Archdiocese. A particular highlight is the opportunity to work alongside project teachers and…

Teachers and researchers work hard to discover the most effective ways of teaching mathematics in the primary classroom. When searching for new tasks to teach or ways to adapt a task to fit the class's profile, they often "phone a friend," drawing on the know-how and knowledge of colleagues and experts. Other articles in this issue attempt to…

This article illustrates a teaching exploration at an Indigenous Community School in the Kimberley region of Western Australia that sought to use a specific way of thinking about particular content domain, subtraction, to develop focused, mathematically-rich learning experiences. First, the authors explain the importance of having clear…

This article describes some of the features of the Mathematics for Learning Inclusion program. The program is designed to improve the teaching and learning of mathematics in clusters of primary schools serving low socio-economic communities (low SES). Specifically, it aims to improve the engagement and learning outcomes for low SES and Aboriginal…

Understanding the equivalence in relation to fractions is centrally important. Students need many experiences of flexibly combining simple fractions in ways that reinforce equivalences among them. This article presents several ideas that are contributed by a range of people. They are designed to help students to develop understandings of…

Everyone knows that teachers do not have unlimited time, a log of experience, or a deep understanding of all the mathematics they teach. To solve this problem, teachers often use textbooks, and the accompanying teacher's resource books, as sources of activities and advice about how to help students learn mathematics. The activity that prompted…

Research has established that children's development of addition and subtraction skills progresses through a hierarchy of strategies that begin with counting-by-one methods through to flexible mental strategies using a combination of knowledge of basic facts and understanding of place value. An important transition point is the shift from the…

Mathematics games are often used in the classroom as a reward or warm-up activity before the "real" learning takes place. Many teachers have witnessed how useful games are for tuning-in students to the impending mathematics lesson. However, have teachers considered playing games as the central part of the lesson? This article explores the benefits…

Games are among the many types of activities that can be used to help promote number sense. Chosen and used wisely, games encourage learning and motivate many students to grasp concepts more quickly and fully. This article describes a popular and easy-to-implement number sense game--called Digits and Dice--most commonly used in conjunction with…

Three activities are presented that are designed to develop an understanding of equivalence. Equivalent fractions have the same value, but may be expressed with a different denominator or different notation. "Decimal Fraction Dominoes" focuses on the equivalence of commonly occurring fractions, decimal fractions, percentages and their pictorial…

Estimation is an important skill for everyday living. Good estimators usually have a sound knowledge of basic facts, understand place value and use a variety of strategies to make their estimates. This paper describes an activity which is designed to provide students with opportunities to practice their rounding strategies with addition and…

Whenever teachers of young children get together there will be differences of opinion about how far children should be taught to count. Some will argue that the focus should be on small numbers to 9, building up the notion of what, say, the name 5 means, what it looks like, and how it can be represented. Others argue that with ice blocks retailing…