Were you aware that talking about mathematics is beneficial for learners? Research points to the importance of collaborative tasks and talk in learning mathematics.

Talking through a problem improves reasoning skills and helps in understanding why a solution works, rather than memorising and rote learning.

In many formal learning situations all mathematics is seen as under the sole control of the teacher. To help learners experience being mathematicians, it is vital to have meaningful contexts and examples.

Lifelong learners who are bosses of their learning are not afraid to ask questions, to evaluate their learning and to take action in order to achieve their goals. Learning to learn involves a depth of personal learning than skill development alone.

Many of the venues where our team offer outreach services provide free Wi-Fi. But, there are one or two places where it is not possible to access the internet with our laptops: for example, delivering an outreach after school club in a basement. Under such circumstances the resources and services that we can offer are pretty limited. But, we found a solution.

'What is a number?' is hardly going to be a question raised before children reach the age of attending higher education. Before that time arrives, they work with numbers: in other words, they do mathematics. And, neither they nor their teachers get the time or opportunity to ponder what mathematics is about.