ABSTRACT
It is obvious to anyone who has tried to teach a mixed ability class that the problems of providing suitable activities for a wide range of pupil abilities is one of the most difficult tasks a teacher has to solve. In no subject are the effects of inappropriate tasks, or tasks incorrectly matched to the ability and stage of development of the pupils, more crucial than in mathematics. Teachers are often made aware of the need for differentiated activities in mathematics by the reactions of those children who are unable to cope with the work that the majority of the class can tackle with some degree of success. These mathematically low attainers often do not appear to understand what is required, their ability to read in order to extract information may be poor so they are unable to act on written instructions and, even if they know what is being asked of them, their mathematical understanding is often inadequate to perform the task. The difficulty this poses for the teacher is not unique to mathematics but the total blankness which children can display towards a mathematical question is somehow more complete than in other areas of the curriculum where they can make some attempt to perform the task even if the resulting work is of a low standard. This makes mathematics a subject in which every teacher is aware of the need for differentiation.
