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Showing posts from July, 2019

Slice of advice 2019: What I have learned this year

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I've been asked again this year to contribute to Craig Barton's end of year podcast: Slice of advice - what have I learned this year:  http://www.mrbartonmaths.com/blog/slice-of-advice-2019-what-did-you-learn-this-year/ The main thing that I've learned this year is how few teachers are familiar with Richard Skemp's ideas on instrumental versus relational understanding. I meet a lot of teachers in my job and I will often have only one or two teachers in the room who have read it. These ideas have been fundamental to my development as a mathematics educator and I see it as the key concept that is most illuminating when considering ideas about teaching and learning in maths. It is also one of the main reasons why I am so passionate about the use of technology in maths. Instrumental versus relational understanding Skemp published his ideas in the 1970s but they are still available via the ATM website at:  https://www.atm.org.uk/write/MediaUploads/Resources/Richard_Sk