Position Paper on National Focus Group on Teaching of Mathematics

In the vision of the Group, school mathematics takes place in a situation where: (1) Children learn to enjoy mathematics, (2) Children learn important mathematics, (3) Mathematics is a part of children’s life experience which they talk about, (4) Children pose and solve meaningful problems, (5) Children use abstractions to perceive relationships and structure, (6) Children understand the basic structure of mathematics and (7) Teachers expect to engage every child in class. On the other hand, mathematics education in our schools is beset with problems. We identify the core areas of concern. The shift in focus we propose is from mathematical content to mathematical learning environments, where a whole range of processes take precedence: formal problem solving, use of heuristics, estimation and approximation, optimisation, use of patterns, visualisation, representation, reasoning and proof, making connections, mathematical communication. The Group sees this as crucial for liberating school mathematics from the tyranny of the one right answer, found by applying the one algorithm taught. Such learning environments invite participation, engage children, and offer a sense of success.