Dr Finesilver talks through some of her methods of making maths more relational, like scenario-based problems, using models, imagery, props and metaphors. What we want to avoid, she explains, is the anxiety that can come with being pushed into remembering facts and repeating procedures to get to the so-called ‘right’ answer.
She emphsises the importance of giving students self-belief, that is, that they have the capacity to learn and to find a way to solve problems, not always to get the right answer.
You can read more about Carla’s research in her recent paper: Beyond categories: Dynamic qualitative analysis of visuospatial representation in arithmetic