
	6th form schools home

	Art and design
	Biology
	Business
	Chemistry
	Design and technology
	English
	Geography
	History
	Mathematics
	Modern foreign languages
	Physical education
	Physics
	Psychology
	Religious education
	VCE science/applied science
	Generic guidance related to Curriculum 2000

	Print this page

Mathematics


		11-16 schools

		6th form schools

		Colleges

Case studies

Documents to download

> Download PDF

Guidance on effective practice in A level Mathematics

The introduction of Curriculum 2000 (C2K) gave schools and colleges the opportunity to reconsider their choice of specification and rethink the aims, organisation and character of the mathematics they offer.

The advice which follows draws on the experience of schools and colleges to provide some general points of guidance about managing and implementing effective teaching and learning. These are illustrated by some case studies of good practice on this website.

Schools and colleges are responding to the teaching and learning challenges of mathematics AS and A2 by:

devising highly interactive ways of teaching which encourage discussion, collaboration and students taking responsibility for their own learning
encouraging widespread use of graphic calculators and computers by using them frequently in teaching, by making them easily accessible during and outside lessons and by writing new schemes of work to incorporate the use of appropriate software
providing regular opportunities to review progress and devising ways of giving constructive verbal and written feedback to students
providing support for students outside lessons
devising ways of easing the transition from GCSE to AS level
taking advantage of the modular structure to offer a range of courses for A and AS levels, including further mathematics, to suit student need and providing clear guidance to students about the options, the courses and the support available.

Teachers have developed innovative ways to support each other by:

collaborating to produce resources for teaching and learning
sharing expertise and ideas through meetings and communal resources
creating opportunities for professional development within the team.

Teachers have developed a number of successful strategies to give their students the ‘bigger picture’ in mathematics, and to encourage them to think of a career involving mathematics. These include:

students attending mathematics conferences
team-building residentials and events with teachers, AS and A2 students, helping students provide peer support through the course
involvement in competitions such as Senior Mathematics Challenge of the UK Mathematics Trust
establishment of a mathematics club
creating a guide to the relevant resources available in the careers and mathematics departments
inviting former students to give talks to current students.

The approaches outlined above and exemplified in the case studies are applicable to the new mathematics specification for first teaching from September 2004.

Case studies

> Mathematics

QCA weblinks

> A level performance descriptions: mathematics
> AEA test specification for mathematics

Documents to download

> Summaries of the A level specifications available in mathematics