Teaching Mathematics in the Elementary School - EDUC 358a Resource Guide

The aims of teaching mathematics are those long-term purposes that together constitute the justification for the subject having such a prominent place in the school curriculum. They are the answer to the question: why teach mathematics? The aims of mathematics teaching can be categorized under five headings: utilitarian, application, transferable skills, aesthetic and epistemological.

Cross-curricular mathematics can be understood in three ways. First, other areas of the primary school curriculum can be seen as providing opportunities to use and apply the skills and knowledge that pupils learn in mathematics lessons in purposeful activities. Second, other curriculum areas can be seen as providing meaningful contexts within which mathematical concepts can be introduced or developed.

In this entry, gender is considered in relation to those differences that might be observed or perceived between boys and girls in relation to learning mathematics. Gender differences are discussed in terms of achievement, attitudes, behaviour and equal opportunities.

The earliest mathematical writer whose name we know was the Egyptian scribe Ahmes, who in c.1650 BC copied an earlier text on handling fractions and solving arithmetical problems. But for at least 1000 years before that, scribes in the great river civilizations of Egypt and Mesopotamia were developing ways of representing numbers and solving problems that are recognizably precursors of today’s mathematical activity.

Many normal students encounter difficulties in mathematics. Students with disabilities often find the mastery of even rudimentary mathematical skills to be problematic. Concern always has been voiced about these problems, and strides have been taken to improve mathematics instruction in regular education. Yet, relatively little attention has been paid to the improvement of the mathematics skills of children with special needs.

The writer presents nine ideas for using interactive whiteboards to present math games for students in grades 3–5.