The Possibilities and Difficulties of Teaching Secondary Mathematics in All-attainment Groups
FORUM - ISSN 0963-8253
Volume 55 Number 1 (2013)
The Possibilities and Difficulties of Teaching Secondary Mathematics in All-attainment Groups
GWEN TRESIDDER, ANNE WATSON pages 73-84
DOI: 10.2304/forum.2013.55.1.73
Abstract
It is a well-established norm in England that secondary school mathematics is taught in groups categorised by prior attainment. It is therefore worthwhile to report alternative practices of all-attainment teaching - but these are rare. In this article, we report aspects of all-attainment mathematics teaching in a secondary school that has maintained this practice as its norm over a considerable time, including in recent years, when a hierarchical approach to measuring mathematics learning has become the norm for accountability purposes. The teaching described here takes account of the needs and progress of different students within a common curriculum focus, and we identify key principles behind it. The article is intended to contribute to a record of all-attainment grouping practices in mathematics in England, so that these practices are not lost.
To cite this article
GWEN TRESIDDER, ANNE WATSON (2013) The Possibilities and Difficulties of Teaching Secondary Mathematics in All-attainment Groups, FORUM, 55(1), 73-84. https://doi.org/10.2304/forum.2013.55.1.73