"Doing maths": children talk about their classroom experiences

Abstract

From their everyday experiences of life in classrooms, children develop understandings of what is meant by “doing maths”. This paper draws on the findings of an ongoing longitudinal study following the mathematical learning careers of ten children from the beginning of their third year at primary school as seven-year-olds to the end of their eleventh year as sixteen-year-olds. Over this time, “doing maths” has changed remarkably little for these students. Using the children’s accounts of doing maths, the paper probes the connections among mathematical content, teaching, and learning, and considers the implications of their stories for teaching practice.