PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS' PERCEPTIONS OF HOW CHILDREN LEARN TO MAKE CONNECTIONS IN MATHEMATICS (original) (raw)

I am currently a primary school teacher leading mathematics in a school in Northampton. From previous work, I was interested in how teachers can further develop children’s connections in mathematics to ensure they are not just learning facts and methods but developing as mathematicians. To research into this, I decided to start by looking in depth into teachers’ perceptions. Initially, I researched into how children develop mathematical connections and, from this, developed three main themes of communication, participation and time. I then identified six common categories linked to these themes, which I used to code the data. These were: teachers’ communication, children’s communication, noticing patterns, applying skills, using representations and giving time. These were developed through extensive reading, however, the most influential authors were: Askew et al. (1997); Drury (2015); Barmby et al. (2009 and 2010) and Turner and McCullouch (2004). I used a case study methodology and, within this, I conducted semi-structured interviews and document scrutiny. I interviewed four teachers from the school where I currently work, I transcribed these interviews and also collected planning over a five-week period. To analyse this data, I used the categories that emerged from my conceptual framework to code the data and identified any emerging themes. The main findings about teachers’ perceptions from this research were: the way teachers communicate mathematics through modelling, questioning and the correct use of vocabulary is key; if children are giving reasons for their answers and talking about the representations they are using, they are showing they have made connections; the order in which mathematical topics are taught is vitally important but something teachers find difficult to manage; children need to develop connections independently as well as working with others to clarify their thinking; problem solving activities and recapping learning needs to happen on a regular basis and finding enough time to develop connections is something teachers find difficult.