math

Focus on At-Risk Learners• Research has shown that a powerful and negative chain reaction commonlyoccurs where teachers are working with at-risk learners (Baker, 1999; Marchesi,1998). This dangerous cycle often involves the following: poor behaviour patternsamong students who have been unsuccessful in the past; a corresponding lackof instructional confidence among teachers; the development of negativeexpectations for these students; decreased interaction with, and attention to,these students; and then a perception on the part of struggling learners thatthey are being discriminated against, leading to further failure. Professionaldevelopment can help modify this situation by fostering changes in teachers’outlook. Teachers must believe that it is possible to educate all students andthat the education authorities have provided enough support to do this.Teachers must believe they can achieve this goal. And finally, they mustbelieve that teaching children with greater learning difficulties is worthwhile(Marchesi, 1998).INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIESTechnology supports learning and should be accessible to all students – especiallythose who struggle with mathematics.Technology can be used to reduce the time taken on routine mathematical tasks andpromote thinking and concept development. All students, especially students atrisk, should have access to learning environments supported by information andcommunication technologies (ICT).Research FindingsTaking Advantage of ICT• Capitalizing on students’ skills with popular technologies can be an avenue forbypassing the tedium of computational exercises, so that school mathematicsprovides opportunities for problem solving and thinking (Battista, 1999; Lesh& Heger, 2001; Noss, 1998).• Evaluation of England’s National Numeracy Strategy has underlined the needfor schools to give more emphasis to ICT to enhance learning in mathematics.In its report after the third year of the strategy, OFSTED noted that improvingteachers’ expertise and confidence in using ICT continued to be a challengefor many schools. The most common and successful uses of ICT in mathematicsteaching were programmable robots for work on angles and direction; datahandlingsoftware; and programs to help students practise number skills(OFSTED, 2002).• Merely integrating technology into the curriculum will not improve studentperformance on its own. Thoughtful and appropriate selection of how andwhere technology should be integrated is essential (Charp, 2000).WHAT RESEARCH TELLS US35