A number of underlying principles for including technology in the mathematics classroom is provided by Way and Webb (2006). They see technology, if incorporated in a rich and meaningful way, as potentially providing: (1) a shift from "instructivist" to constructivist education philosophies; (2) a move from teacher-centred to…

Developing critical numeracy is important in a society where mathematics plays a particular and significant role. One way of helping learners to develop the level of numeracy required to participate in society is by exploring ideas embedded in rich, accessible tasks. These can be linked to contexts that have relevance in their lives. One…

This article describes some aspects of Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development. It highlights the importance of giving young children specific access to explore conservation in measurement, which will give students invaluable experiences in measurement that in years to come will be regarded as their prior knowledge of the concept. This is…

In 2010, St. Leonards Primary School in Tasmania, along with other selected schools throughout Australia, trialled the draft Australian Curriculum: Mathematics. Mathematics had been a whole school focus at St. Leonards Primary School for several years, and the school found that the opportunity to be part of the trial strongly connected with their…

Children are often intrigued by number patterns and games and so it makes sense for teachers to include them in their mathematics lessons. Puzzles encourage the use of critical thinking skills and provide practice in important skills areas. The use of games fosters mathematical learning and encourages the mathematical processes that children use.…

As students progress through primary school, they are introduced to a growing collection of notation and symbols. From a teaching perspective, before introducing new mathematical symbols it is important to consider the role they play. If students cannot see a meaningful relationship between these signs and symbols and mathematical concepts, coming…

Open-ended tasks focused on content specific features are regarded as an effective way to promote particular concept development and to elicit higher-order thinking. Such tasks may vary widely in their focus and approach and they can be formulated without unnecessary complexity. When mathematics tasks are designed in an open-ended fashion they can…

It is over 12 years since "APMC" published Bob Perry and Peter Howard's research on the use of mathematics manipulative materials in primary mathematics classrooms. Since then the availability of virtual manipulatives and associated access to computers and interactive whiteboards have caused educators to rethink the use of mathematics…

Curriculum reform aimed at improving students' reasoning strategies for calculating was the focus of a research project in which the authors participated along with two school communities in regional Victoria. Another focus of the research was assisting teachers to gain insight into how their students approached calculations. This article explores…

In this article, the author presents three different tasks that can be used to assess students' understanding of the concept of length. Three important measurement concepts for students to understand are transitive reasoning, use of identical units, and iteration. In any teaching and learning process it is important to acknowledge students'…

When children start school, they bring with them a variety of background skills and informal knowledge that can enrich their learning of new concepts and ideas. A major tenet of many learning theories is that the more children are able to connect a new concept with their existing knowledge and understandings, the more they feel confident and able…

There are many classroom activities that can be implemented with primary students that introduce and immerse them in ratio investigations. Some enjoyable tasks include finding the ratio of tongue rollers to non-tongue rollers in the classroom; left-hand dominant to right-hand dominant; right-thumb over left-thumb when clasping the hands to…

According to the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) (1989, 2000), students at all levels should be exposed to geometry and measurement topics. Standards documents have identified the importance of primary school students selecting appropriate units for measurements in one- and two-dimensional space (NCTM 1989, 2000). This paper…

The mathematical development of children with Down syndrome (DS) is largely uncharted territory and yet the experience of parents and teachers reminds people that children with DS can and do learn mathematics. In this article, the authors describe a study that examines the mathematical development of children with DS, and offer suggestions arising…

As a result of conversations with students, previous teaching experiences, and through reading relevant literature, this author was aware that many students struggle with understanding fraction concepts. In particular, she knew that students had difficulty with reading, renaming, ordering, interpreting, and applying common fractions, fraction…