She couldn’t give change for £20

Mary McAteer

    Research output: Contribution to conferenceKeynote

    Abstract

    Invited keynote panel member Student Action Research conference Mathematics anxiety is a well-recognised phenomenon in the United Kingdom, as documented by Brown, Brown & Bibby (2008) among others. Its effects, which include avoidance strategies, lack of confidence and competence, and negative attitudes, persist into adult life and significantly impairs creativity and problem-solving activities (Ashcraft & Moore (2009) among others). Further, the Williams Report (2008) identified a need to develop positive attitudes to mathematics in young children. Evidence suggest s a number of key factors in the construction and transmission of anxiety and negative attitudes, including:  the nature, and perceived difficulty of mathematics  the non-negotiable nature of mathematics  teachers’ attitudes to and fear of mathematics  teaching styles  familial and societal transmission and acceptance of mathematics anxiety (Haylock, 2008; Newstead, 1995, 1998) Furthermore, there is evidence that teachers can be helped develop teaching approaches which can ameliorate anxiety and raise mathematical confidence in children. (Haylock, 2010) As Director of a large UK based In-Service, postgraduate professional development programme designed to support excellence in primary mathematics teaching, I want to improve my practice to enable more effective professional development experiences for the in-service teachers on my programme. How can I, in collaboration with the programme team and the teachers involved ensure that we work to alleviate anxiety, and develop confidence and competence in our teachers and their pupils? This paper draws on initial findings of a pilot evaluation with one cohort of teachers (September 2011–July 2012), and informs the development of further collaborative action research project which will start in October 2012, and will follow the cohort, tracking changes in their own mathematics confidence and competence, and reported and measured changes in their own pupils.
    Original languageEnglish
    Publication statusPublished - 23 Nov 2012
    EventTowards Creative Action: Transformations and Collaborations in Practice - Ashford, United Kingdom
    Duration: 23 Nov 2012 → …

    Conference

    ConferenceTowards Creative Action: Transformations and Collaborations in Practice
    Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
    CityAshford
    Period23/11/12 → …

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