RME

A Dutch based approach to providing a ‘Rich’ environment is Realistic Mathematics Education (RME). RME refers to problem situations the children can imagine and with which they can engage (O’Sullivan et al. 2005, Thompson 2003). RME can be a hook to prompt the Big Ideas promoted by the Maths Specialist Teacher Program: Mathematical Thinking, Proportionality, Pattern, Generality and Representation (University of Hertfordshire 2010). RME may also release the Natural Mathematical Powers: Imagining, Expressing, Specialising, Generalising, Conjecturing, Convincing, Organising and Classifying (Mason et al. 2010).

In my experience, RME also stimulates the pupil led mathematical discussion sought by Rich Tasks. Social interaction is a powerful method of encouraging mathematical thinking and underpins the Vygotskian theory of ‘The Zone of Proximal Development’ (Hansen 2005). That is to say, the difference between what learners can do without help and what he or she can do when a teacher provides prompts to facilitate the learner’s development.