Essential Ingredients that form the basis for Mathematical Learning: What has 20 years of teaching mathematics to teenagers taught me?

Educators strive to improve student learning outcomes and there are numerous theories suggesting how this is best achieved. However, application of these theories to the coal face of a classroom is often fraught with obstacles resulting in poor outcomes. Constraints imposed by educational policy, school systems, structures and the individual students themselves, realistically require adaptation of theoretical techniques if genuine learning is to be imparted to students. This paper discusses some of the issues surrounding the practical implementation of new methodologies into the classroom and identifies important factors that affect teenagers in their learning of mathematics. Working within the constraints, constantly confronted with obstacles, can be frustrating and demoralising. This paper reflects on twenty years of classroom teaching of mathematics to students with relatively poor socio-economic backgrounds and the lessons learnt from them that may assist teachers to remain enthusiastic and creative with the energy to truly improve mathematics education. Key issues explored in the paper include: ‘Realities of a teacher’s working day’, ‘The learning of mathematics within a government secondary system’, and ‘What can be done to ensure mathematical learning takes place?