Seriously Fun Maths: The complete guide to motivational mathematics

By Laura Tuohilampi

In Seriously Fun Maths, Dr Laura Tuohilampi changes the narrative of mathematics education into something fascinating, intriguing and something that touches every human. Based on her cutting-edge research she challenges the outdated ways of motivating students around maths.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Amba Press
• Release date: Jul 20, 2022
• ISBN: 9781922607232

Laura Tuohilampi

Dr Laura Tuohilampi (University of New South Wales (UNSW) Arts, Design and Architecture) is a mathematics education researcher, an inservice teacher trainer and the founder of Math Hunger and Maths for Humans. Passionate about shifting mindsets to recognise maths as positive, engaging and achievable, her work explores practices that are innovative, engaging and which seek to inspire teachers. Laura is a multi-award-winning researcher, who focuses on interest development, engagement and the social and contextual aspects of learning mathematics. This is her second book, but first international publication.

Book preview

MONTH 1:

Maths in the classroom

In this chapter, you will:

1. Review common mathematics activities to make sure you support both cognitive and affective development of your students’ journey to become competent and confident mathematics users.

2. Give your students an open task and let them handle challenging situations more independently.

3. Get familiar with new ways of interacting with your students, and learn how to vary your interaction in different situations.

Deliberate practice

Quality over quantity. It’s a widely entertained principle, but we humans commonly end up trying harder and doing more of the same—quantity over quality. Stepping back to find alternative ways requires confidence, a growth mindset and time to reflect: American psychologist Daniel Willingham emphasises the importance of slowing down to allow constant adjustments based on feedback before taking more