1. Going it alone within further mathematics Cathy Smith Transmaths 2 March 2012 c.smith@ioe.ac.uk

2. More students, more mathematics ► Students (16-18 years) choosing …  to start, or not  to continue or stop  to work at, or not  to care about, or not … a further mathematics course … a further mathematics course

3. My research ► Students choosing Further Maths A-level  24 students in three sites  31 interviews in Y12 and 13  18 email questionnaires/conversations  43 hours lesson observation

4. ► Different discourses  Maths = moving/ improving; staged maturity  Further maths = getting ahead; help in becoming independent ► Students used FM to position themselves as learning skills of working alone and to challenge school (mathematics) practices of dependency

5. Mathematics is … Mathematics is not... Further Mathematics is … Further Mathematics is not...

6. Students who continued with further mathematics were supported by the fact that it was outside school. Implications: - role of external tutors not the same as school teachers - Opportunities for weaker A-level students to exceed expectations through tackling harder topics in groups