ABSTRACT
The design of our lessons reflects our beliefs about how children learn. If we believe that children doing pages of sums is an effective way of teaching children an understanding of mathematics, then our lessons would look like that most of the time. If we believe that there is far more than that to effective learning, we may prefer to see lessons where children can articulate their own understanding through guided use of mathematical vocabulary, either orally or through the drafting process in writing; where they experience mathematics through a variety of learning media, including physical activities and resources, visual imagery, and ICT; and where they are clear about the goals of their learning. Lessons reflecting the latter views will be designed with variety, based on a series of episodes, and will form part of a clearly planned scheme.
