Teaching of primary mathematics: Misconceptions and ways for improvement

In the study of Leung, Man and Ng (1997), it was found that the most difficult part of mathematics teaching perceived by primary student-teachers was the explanation of fundamental concepts and definitions to the students. A follow-up study that focused on this issue was then conducted. Many student-teachers were observed to have demonstrated a teacher-oriented style in mathematics teaching as described by Ernest (1989) during their final teaching practice. This paper reports some common misconceptions conveyed in the classroom teaching of primary mathematics by student-teachers. Furthermore, some methods of relational approach (Skemp, 1978) are suggested to improve the teaching of Shape and Space.