When it comes to using software to enhance the learning and teaching of mathematics it is all too easy to "talk the talk", but "walking the walk" is something else. There are many pertinent problems associated with accessibility, robust systems, curriculum time, classroom management, software familiarity and intuitive usage to name but a few.…

Many delegates at "conference" relish the opportunity, and the space, to "do some mathematics". Opportunity and space help to make the experience memorable, but how often is the quality of the starting point, or question acknowledged? Here is a set of starting points or problems that invite the reader to "do some mathematics". Deliberately, no…

In short, this is a "master class". The learning and teaching of mathematics can be revolutionised with the creative use of dynamic software is an oft quoted mantra. Here, this mantra is exemplified through the documented experiences of using Autograph to enliven, to extend, and to foster the understanding of differentiation and integration. The…

Geometer Sketchpad is far from a new innovation, but its potential in the classroom is probably still understated. The application described here can be replicated in any classroom, and the impact on learning is likely to be significant. The experiences documented are "real", and show how a software package can enhance an area of the mathematics…

Has technology revolutionised the mathematics classroom, or is it still a device waiting to be exploited for the benefit of the learner? There are applets that will enable the user to solve complex equations at the push of a button. So, does this jeopardise other methods, make other methods redundant, or even diminish other methods in the mind of…

For more than one hundred years teachers have paddled beside the great ocean of mathematical adventure. Between them they have taught millions of young people. A few have dived in and kept swimming, some have lingered on the shore playing in pools, but most have dipped their toes in and run like heck in the other direction never to return. There…

It is a pity that for so many people not involved in Teaching, and for a surprising number who are, mathematics in schools is "chiefly" all about the ability to know a set of facts, multiplication tables and addition bonds in particular, rather than the capacity to reason and explore patterns and relationships in Number and Shape.…

In the first part to this article, the author described three stages that he believes are effective starting points for translating familiar classroom activities into mathematics-with-information and communications technology (ICT) lessons that exploit the power of variation to focus student attention. In this second part, the author continues to…

In this article, the author describes an activity she has used with two different groups: (1) high attaining year 8 children; and (2) Secondary Mathematics PGCE students. In the activity they created what was, ostensibly, the same geometrical objects using paper folding, pencil, ruler and compasses, and the "Geometer's Sketchpad"--an example of…

In this article, the author suggests a framework for developing lesson ideas involving variation. This idea was demonstrated by Rebecca Davey at a conference bringing together teachers from the seven schools participating in the TI-"n"spire pilot research project overseen by Alison Clark-Wilson of the University of Chichester. It uses information…

Solving true problems requires persistence. The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) states that "problem solving means engaging in a task for which the solution method is not known in advance. In order to find a solution, students must draw on their knowledge, and through this process they will often develop new mathematical…

The authors explore the teaching of trigonometry using a method developed by Jeremy Burke of Kings College. A series of lessons was planned using an approach which looks at moving from a mathematical description of the topic, to a sequence plan, to a set of activities, which students can use to help them come to understand the topic. This is…

This article is about the students' investigation about the relationship between the diameter of the view tubes (x) of constant lengths and the viewable vertical distance (y) on the wall while keeping the perpendicular distance from the eyeball to the wall constant. The students collected data and used and represented it in tabular and graphical…

This final article focuses in particular on the engagement of year 8 students who were taught trigonometry using dynamic geometry software ("Geometer's SketchPad"), as outlined in "MT214" and with resources from the ATM website. The project was implemented in three different classrooms in two different, multiracial,…

It is surprisingly easy to explore geometry using Word AutoShapes or an Excel spreadsheet. Most of the techniques described could be taught to Y7 in half an hour. Many of them could be used in primary schools. Shows some of the mathematical possibilities of these techniques. Detailed step-by-step worksheets to introduce pupils to these are…