Reading Counts: Expanding the Role of Reading in Mathematics Classrooms

Three perspectives on how reading can support inquiry-oriented mathematics instruction. Detailed narratives of classroom experiences illustrate these perspectives and show the range of texts, strategies and reading practices used to enrich pupils' understanding of mathematical concepts.

Contributors

Douglas Butler, Oundle School has taught secondary Mathematics for many years, where he served as Head of Mathematics and then Head of Careers Education. He also chaired the MEI project in the 1980s. He founded the ICT Training Centre in 2000. This is based at Oundle School, and runs courses all over the UK and abroad, with the aim of helping teachers get to grips with the many possibilities of using computers in the classroom. This Centre also researches and creates resources for the educational use of ICT. He is author of Using the Internet - Mathematics (2000) and co-author of the software Autograph 3 (2004).

Alison Clark-Jeavons, University College Chichester, was formerly an 'advanced skills' teacher of mathematics and is now a senior lecturer at University College Chichester. Alison is researching the effective use of the interactive whiteboard in the mathematics classroom in collaboration with colleagues and teachers and has a particular interest in teachers' professional development with respect to ICT.

Jenny Gage, University of Cambridge, is the co-ordinator of the Motivate videoconferencing project for schools, which is part of the Millennium Mathematics Project. Before this, she was a secondary maths teacher for 15 years. She is also doing research into the use of graphics calculators in the teaching and learning of algebra 11-14.

Dave Hewitt, University of Birmingham, Dave is a Senior Lecturer in Mathematics Education at the University of Birmingham. Before that Dave taught in secondary schools for 11 years including being Head of Mathematics for five of those years. Dave's research interests relate to ways in which the powers all of us possess andused as young children in our early pre-school learning can be accessed and utilised more frequently and effectively within the mathematics classroom. Recently this has led to a particular interest in the teaching and learning of algebra and the use of computer software.

Nicholas Jackiw is the inventor of The Geometer's Sketchpad. He also works as the Chief Technology Officer at KCP Technologies, where Sketchpad and Fathom are under continual development.

Peter Johnston-Wilder, The Open University, has been a secondary maths teacher and a lecturer on courses for intending and in-service teachers. He was jointly editor of MicroMath for six years and is currently conducting research in statistical education.

Sue Johnston-Wilder, The Open University, has been involved with ICT for many years. She was Director of one of the NOF-funded ICT providers. She now works on new courses for teachers of mathematics, and her current research is related to using ICT to meet diverse needs in mathematics education.

Kate Mackrell, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, has specialised in the use of interactive geometry software. She worked in computing before going into secondary mathematics teaching. She taught in a variety of contexts before starting to work in teacher education at the University of Brighton. A particular interest has been in the development of mathematical thinking through the use of ICT. She contributed to the development of the ATM Active Geometry files. She is currently studying for a PhD at Queen's University in Ontario, Canada, exploring the use that teachers make of interactive geometry in their detaching.

John Mason, Professor, The Open University, is wellknown for many books including Thinking Mathematically with Leone Burton and Kaye Stacey and Learning and Doing Mathematics. More recently he has published Practitioner Research Using the Discipline of Noticing. He has a wealth of experience of helping practitioners to develop their own practice, and to turn that into research.

John Monaghan is a lecturer in mathematics education at Leeds University. He has a special interest in students' understanding of algebra and calculus and the use of new technology. He has edited and contributed to several books and journals on the subject of computer algebra.

Adrian Oldknow, Professor Emeritus, University College Chichester and Visiting Fellow, Mathematical Sciences Group, Institute of Education, University of London has taught mathematics and computing at all levels in secondary schools, further education and universities, including pre-service and in-service teacher education. He chaired the Mathematics Curriculum ICT support group for the DfES 1993/9 and maintains an active involvement with many mathematics and computing subject professional associations. He currently chairs the Professional Development Committee of the Mathematical Association and is Treasurer of the Joint Mathematical Council. He chaired the Royal Society and JMC Working Group which produced the report "Teaching and Learning Geometry 11-19" in July 2001. He is co-author of Teaching Mathematics using ICT with Ron Taylor.

David Pimm, University of Alberta, Canada, has worked in the UK, the US and Canada in mathematics education and has published and edited many books and other resources. His main area of interest is mathematics and language, including forms ofmathematical communication enabled by current developments in technology.

Nathalie Sinclair, Michigan State University, United States, has recently completed a post-doctorate at the Center for Experimental and Constructive Mathematics at Simon Fraser University. She has taught secondary and middle school mathematics, and has worked extensively with teachers and students in designing and using various technology-based environments.

David Wright is Teaching Fellow in Mathematics Education at the School of Education, Communication and Language Sciences, University of Newcastle upon Tyne. He is also an editor of the professional journal Micromath.