Reflecting on Teaching and Learning Mathematics Seán Delaney Coláiste Mhuire Marino July 1 st to 7 th 2004

Overview of Day 1 Introductions and warm-up activity Journals Comment cards Reflection on own experiences of learning mathematics Work of a mathematician BREAK Children and mathematics Individual differences in teaching mathematics Introduction to place value

Introductions and Warm-up Activity Card games ___ Introductions Mathematics to me… What would you most like to get out of the course?

Journals Central goals of the course September is a long way off! Other teachers have considered the problems before Document thinking and learning Newspaper cutouts, samples of children’s work with comments, reflections on the activities, notes on the activities and how you might use them in your class, questions you have, a question you would like to investigate in your teaching next year.

Comment Cards Let me know how you are finding the course All feedback welcome Will be read and considered at the end of each day of the course

Reflection on Experiences of Learning Mathematics What are your memories of how you learned mathematics? What relationship do you see between how you learned mathematics and how you teach the subject? How did you learn to teach mathematics?

Work of a mathematician Fermat’s Last Theorem Solved by Andrew Wiles Very Difficult Mathematics What is similar about Wiles’s work and the work of children in primary school? JOURNAL What aspects of a mathematician’s life/work is shown in the video?

Aspects of a Mathematician’s Work Seen in the Video Time is spent working alone Discussing, collaborating and consulting with others is essential Sometimes you work at length to find a solution to a problem, not knowing if one exists Even mathematicians sometimes don't understand things and find mathematics difficult In solving problems, connections need to be made between different areas of mathematics Looking for patterns is essential New mathematics is still being 'discovered' It is difficult to work at something if you don't know what it's for (fall-off in graduates' attendance at 'special' lectures) Success is satisfying and joyful Mistakes are part of doing maths Solving a problem is like a bright light being turned on. Where did he get his motivation? His imagination was captured at a very young age.

BREAK!