Learning theories in the mathematics classroom

In this chapter we look at some of the theories of how children learn, with a special focus on mathematics. We believe time spent considering theories of learning is absolutely vital for any practising or pre-service teacher. It is especially important for someone who is to take responsibility for running a mathematics department and leading colleagues to ways of improving pupils’ learning and enjoyment of mathematics. Although, as we will argue in these two chapters, connections between theories of learning and what is implied for teaching are by no means clear, nevertheless teaching has to be informed by what we understand as learning. To take an example, it was once thought, at least by lazy students such as the fi rst author of this chapter, that if one played a tape recorder under one’s pillow through the night, playing French irregular verbs, multiplication tables, or English kings and queens, one would wake up with all that knowledge embedded in the mind next morning. Were this to have proved correct, the job of the teacher would be to prepare suitable tapes. This piece of fanciful thinking at least points to the need to consider what learning is, before determining what kinds of teaching would be called for