This module will develop your knowledge and understanding of teaching primary and secondary school mathematics, emphasising the lower secondary school curriculum, and broaden your ideas about how people learn and use mathematics. It's a step towards qualifying and developing as a secondary or primary mathematics teacher, teaching assistant, tutor or parent educator.
| Course facts | |
|---|---|
| About this course: | |
| Course code | ME620 |
| Credits | 30 |
| OU Level | 3 |
| SCQF level | 10 |
| FHEQ level | 6 |
| Course work includes: | |
| 3 Tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) | |
| End-of-module assessment | |
| No residential school | |
This module is designed to:
Successful study of this module should enhance your skills in communicating mathematical ideas clearly and succinctly and explaining mathematical ideas to others
You can find the full content list on the Open mathematics and statistics website.
The module starts from the assumption that mathematics education is an intrinsically worthwhile enterprise; it is therefore worth striving to understand its processes in order to do it better. The module aims arise from the nature of mathematics education as a process of human interaction, which means that certain aspects of the module can only be engaged with through practice. You will be expected to work on mathematics tasks yourself and with a learner, and consider the processes you have worked through in terms of your thinking. From this perspective, the module offers ways of working that contribute to your own mathematical development and, by enhancing your work with other learners, can enrich learning and confidence.
This module has particular vocational relevance for teachers, trainers, teaching assistants, tutors or anyone aspiring to teach or communicate mathematics. This module counts towards the mathematics degree content required to start secondary mathematics teacher training. It introduces some potential new approaches to teaching and learning. You'll learn to communicate about mathematics and identify mathematical learning.
There is no formal pre-requisite study. However,
You can find out more about our mathematics education modules here.
The free course Teaching mathematics is good preparation for this module.
You'll have access to a module website, which includes:
The study materials are available via the module website or as downloadable files: ebooks (EPUB), PDFs or Word documents.
There are no printed materials in this module.
You'll get help and support from an assigned tutor throughout your module.
They'll help by:
Online tutorials run throughout the module. Where possible, we'll make recordings available. While they're not compulsory, we strongly encourage you to participate.
The assessment details for this module can be found in the facts box.
The OU strives to make all aspects of study accessible to everyone. The Accessibility Statement below outlines what studying this module involves. You should use this information to inform your study preparations and any discussions with us about how we can meet your needs.
All of this module's study materials are online. Online materials are composed of pages of text with images, audio/video clips and diagrams. Online materials also include links to external resources, prepared computer files, interactive quizzes, online forums and online tutorial rooms. Students can download (non-interactive) pdf versions of text and diagrams for offline use.
This module provides online learning events only. Although not compulsory, attendance at tutorials will help you consolidate your learning. Tutorials are recorded for later viewing.
You are required to work with one or more learners to complete this module. This will involve observing your learners doing mathematics tasks on 4-8 occasions during the module. You will need to make arrangements for this yourself. It is feasible for friends or family members to act as your learners, but it is preferable if you can work with secondary age children.
You will not be required to work with other students as part of the assessment for this module, but you will be invited to take part in forum exchanges, small group and tutorial wide discussions during online tutorials, if you attend these.
Mathematical and scientific symbols and expressions are used throughout the module and you will be required to use such notation within assessment.
The study materials contain some videos, diagrams and graphs. Reading these is an important part of the study of this module. Figure descriptions are provided for essential figures.
Alternatives for required/assessed research material can be provided to enable you to meet the learning outcomes of the module.
In this module you will be working with specialist reading material such as mathematical notation. These are delivered online.
This module has tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) and an end-of-module assessment (EMA) that you must submit via the online TMA/EMA service.
You will receive feedback from your tutor on your submitted Tutor-Marked Assignments (TMAs). This will help you to reflect on your TMA performance. You should refer to it to help you prepare for your next assignment.
All University modules are structured according to a set timetable and you will need time-management skills to keep your studies on track. You will be supported in developing these skills.
Mathematical thinking in schools (ME620) starts once a year – in October.
This page describes the module that will start in October 2025.
We expect it to start for the last time in October 2027.
This course is expected to start for the last time in October 2027.
This module may help you to gain membership of the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications (IMA). For further information, see the IMA website.