These articles make the case for teaching in a way that emphasises understanding of underlying structures rather than simply noticing patterns in sequences.
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Go forth and generalise
Spotting patterns can be an important first step - explaining why it is appropriate to generalise is the next step, and often the most interesting and important.
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Train spotters' paradise
Dave Hewitt suggests that there might be more to mathematics than looking at numerical results, finding patterns and generalising.
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Spaces for exploration
Alf Coles writes about how he tries to create 'spaces for exploration' for the students in his classrooms.