As David Pimm, author of the influential book Speaking Mathematically, wrote in the early 1990s: “Mathematics education begins and proceeds in language, it advances and stumbles because of language, and its outcomes are often assessed in language.”
We all know however that getting pupils to use meaningful maths language, particularly orally, is hard to do.
There is of course a symbiotic relationship between a pupil’s conceptual understanding in maths and their confident use of mathematical language to demonstrate that understanding. Conceptual understanding and proficiency in mathematical language progress together, hand-in-hand.
The national curriculum agrees and highlights the need to help children use language to support clear, structured thinking. It states: “The quality and variety of language that pupils hear and speak are key factors in developing their mathematical vocabulary and presenting a mathematical justification, argument or proof.
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