Improving my teaching of maths to develop student attitudes towards the subject.

The skills and concepts that are developed in our primary maths education have a significant impact on our daily lives through our engagements with each other and our environment. Therefore, it is important to promote maths education and learning in a positive and engaging way. The purpose of this Action Research study was to improve my teaching of maths to develop student attitudes towards the subject. The research took place in a senior national school, located in suburban Dublin, amongst a sample of 27 fourth class children. The research was designed to take place over a ten-week period. This was reduced to nine weeks, as a result of the school closures due to the Covid-19 pandemic. There were two interventions phased over this time period, the first was phased at the start of the data gathering period and involved the integration of subjects into maths lessons. The second intervention was phased into the research at the mid-point of data collection and involved implementing ICT as a resource for teaching and learning in maths. The research uncovers three findings that I will integrate into my future practice to further develop student attitudes towards maths. The first finding from this study suggests that through developing an increase in children’s confidence of their mathematical ability, an increase in performance of mathematical tasks and problems is offered. It was also suggested that using iPads as a tool for assessments in maths is effective when carried out using game-based applications. There was discussion around the positive impact of using meaningful maths games to stimulate motivation and engagement towards the subject. Through implementing the findings that are presented in this study, I believe my teaching of maths will be improved to support the development of student attitudes towards the subject. I have discovered that in doing so I my educational values of agency, communication and positivity will be a prominent feature of my own practice