An integral part of all initial teacher education programs is the school-based practicum where pre-service teachers get an opportunity to develop their teaching skills and knowledge in a classroom setting. Many have suggested that these experiences are very powerful in shaping pre-service teachers' views of teaching because they are perceived as…

This paper reports on a study focused upon 83 pre-service primary teachers in their first mathematics pedagogy subject at the University of Western Sydney. They completed three surveys: an achievement test of the mathematics they would be expected to teach; a survey of their beliefs about mathematics, mathematics teaching and mathematics learning;…

Online learning, case discussions, and stochastics instruction have all become increasingly active strands of research in mathematics education. This study integrates the three strands. The nature of the discourse during an online case discussion among prospective secondary teachers is analysed. The case focused on the teaching and learning of a…

We report the development of an assessment instrument that provides a profile of the attainment and the errors of pre-service primary teachers across the mathematics curriculum. We describe test development, analyses and test validation involving a sample of 426 pre-service teachers in the first year of their training in primary education courses…

Grade 6 teachers (N = 106) in one school district were randomly assigned to early or late professional development (PD) groups. The program focused on reform communication and incorporated principles of effective PD recommended by researchers, although the duration of the treatment was modest (one full day and four after school sessions over a…

In this paper, the author compares the two games played most frequently in our classrooms, concluding that although both games may prepare the student for success in school only one of the games prepares the student for success in life.

Computers were invented to help mathematicians perform long and complicated calculations more efficiently. By the time that a computing area became a familiar space in primary and secondary schools, the initial motivation for computer use had been submerged in the many other functions that modern computers now accomplish. Not only the mathematics…

This paper investigates some aspects of number patterns that have been a subject of interest and engaged students of mathematics for many years. It is left for the teacher to select and fashion any aspects they feel suit their own students.

A renovation of school buildings at Rosetta High School, in the northern suburbs of Hobart, Tasmania, has provided an opportunity for students to use a real life context to develop and apply mathematical understanding. This has led to students achieving educational outcomes for the Essential Learnings (ELs) curriculum that affirm the role of…

This paper will provide an informative backdrop for some professional discussion for teachers of mathematics who teach middle years students in their classrooms. It will also attempt to draw out some likely implications of the generic discussion presented for mathematics teaching in the middle years. It also provides some much needed information…

In this article the author presents readers with some very useful activities, ideas and problems. He has used these at various times over the years and together they make a very interesting collection. These pieces have come together from different sources, but like a jigsaw, they complete the picture of understanding of the numbers inside the…

For the last three years the author of this paper has been teaching mathematics to a group of students at Year 9 level who have rarely had success in mathematics, particularly in the area of algebra. Most of these students struggle with algebraic concepts and processes and generally have poor retention of any acquired knowledge. For the two years…

Before primitive man had grasped the concept of number, the written word or even speech, he was able to count. This was important for keeping track of food supplies, sending messages, trading between villages and even keeping track of how many animals were in their herd. Counting was done in various ways, but in all cases, the underlying principle…

The problem considered in this paper demonstrates that quite profound and inherently fascinating mathematics is accessible to students who have a sound number sense and deep conceptual understanding of very basic mathematics. This is one of many reasons why we should teach mathematics in ways that promote these attributes in students.

One section of this "scrapbook" section describes Pythagoras' belief in the connections between music and mathematics -- that everything in the universe was a series of harmonies and regulated by music. Another section explains why Phythagoras felt it important for women to be encouraged to learn mathematics. At least 28 women were involved in his…