Produced for a teaching programme, this documentary feature does rather demonstrate the bleedin’ obvious effects of taking time to teach mathematics to children using more fun and practical rather than book-based and theoretical methods. By using balls, weights, water and a range of other “props” we see how much more readily the children engage with their educational experiences whilst simultaneously allowing the teachers to deal more directly with classes of varying interests and aptitudes as they can ask and answer more tailor-made questions. This more personal approach also succeeds in making the kids feel more a part of a proactive communication and participation process whilst creating more understanding of just why they are learning about maths in the first place. The youngsters come across as curious, enquiring and lively and the teachers patient and responsive to a style of teaching that has got to be more productive than the sterile behind a desk methods that many of us (of a certain age) will recall. It’s about vocational teaching and worth quarter of an hour.

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