The rewards and difficulties of Working Mathematically

This paper summarises the experiences of several teachers who taught a number of Working Mathematically activities using workbooks designed by the authors. The teachers felt that, because of the requirement to communicate their ideas with each other, students had gained a deeper understanding of the mathematics. The activities also enabled students to make stronger connections with their everyday experiences and with other mathematical topics. However, many teachers reported difficulties due to time constraints and several had problems integrating Working Mathematically activities with their regular textbooks. The results point to issues which need urgent attention if the rewards of Working Mathematically are to be realised in practice. The new NSW 7- 10 Mathematics Syllabus For the past year, NSW schools have been teaching mathematics to students in Years 7 and 8 (students mostly at Stage 4) from a new syllabus (Board of Studies, 2002). There is little change in the mathematical content of the new syllabus compared with the previous one. The major change is in the teaching process. What was previously a separate Problem Solvin