Author Archives: Charlotte Webb

Effective support for reflective writing in mathematics: Learning from Improvers

The “Learning from Improvers” project was an in-depth study of 12 Open University undergraduate students who were identified as ‘improvers’ on mathematics education modules. These students were interviewed about the difficulties they experienced and supportive strategies they used while learning … Continue reading

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Meet the tutors 2023

We are lucky to be able to introduce two new tutors joining our Mathematics Education team as tutors this academic year, and this feels like a good opportunity to reintroduce you to the other tutors who are currently working on … Continue reading

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Jittery motion of dust particles in water

This blog post was written by Jemimah O’Regan as part of a Summer Research Project under the supervision and guidance of Dr. Elsen Tjhung. Jemimah O’Regan completed her BSc (Hons) degree in Mathematics and Statistics with first-class honours at the … Continue reading

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Flatland as social satire: Women’s status in Victorian times and the push for educational reform By Xiang Fu

This blog post was written by our summer research student Xiang Fu, who was supervised by Andrew Potter and June Barrow-Green. This blog post focuses on the status of women in mathematics in Victorian times, and today. Xiang Fu completed her … Continue reading

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The men who invented zero

This blog post was written by Roshani Senior, an OU mathematics graduate who undertook a 3 month virtual internship with the school of mathematics and statistics. Roshani’s placement was focused on developing external engagement materials based on mathematics. In this … Continue reading

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Introducing MathsCity. 

This blog post was written by Staff Tutor and Senior mathematics lecturer Katie Chicot.  MathsCity marks a first, major step towards creating a first National Mathematics Discovery Centre for the UK. MathsCity opened to the public on 4th October. For … Continue reading

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External engagement during the pandemic

Last September I came back from maternity leave, mid pandemic, to reclaim my role as external engagement lead for the school of mathematics and statistics. I had particularly missed this aspect of my job: organising events with our academics, hosting … Continue reading

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Reflections on Mathematical thinking in schools (ME620) and Developing Algebraic Thinking (ME625)

This blog post was written by OU student Jim Darby. We have republished this (with permission) from Jim’s personal blog. Jim has encapsulated the learning outcomes of reflecting on his own thinking and appreciating the range of learners thinking. Jim … Continue reading

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Fostering Thinking in the Mathematics Classroom, by Nazanin Nikanjam

This post was written by Nazanin Nikanjam, a mathematics education student who received the 2019 Open University Stanley Collings prize for her writing. I have been teaching Mathematics and English as an Additional Language for the past 26 years, with … Continue reading

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Why do I need to study maths? I’m not doing a maths degree

Written by Gerry Golding Hello, I’m Gerry Golding, deputy chair of Developing Statistical Thinking (ME626). In this blog I would like to tell you about a new and exciting scholarship project that Andrew Potter and I are about to undertake. … Continue reading

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