ABSTRACT
In this chapter the reader is introduced to the common misconceptions experienced by pupils in secondary schools. Since many of the areas relate to the primary curriculum, this chapter is also important for the primary school mathematics teacher. By raising a primary school teacher’s awareness of the common misconceptions, perhaps these naive ideas and untaught ‘rules’ can be eliminated before they become deeply rooted in a child’s mathematical skills base. So what are the common misconceptions in elementary maths? How are these manifested by the teacher? How can we ‘break the chain’ and remove these misconceptions permanently?
