Patterns and algebra - maths problems

Greg Purcell began his teaching career in 1974 and is still actively involved as a tutor in primary education at The Australian Catholic University. He has always enjoyed teaching and is now pleased to be in a situation where he can assist aspiring teachers develop the skills, knowledge and understanding necessary to become confident and competent primary school teachers.

Since 1993 he has been primarily a full-time author. As a teacher, he realised the need for student- and teacher-friendly resources that would provide course work that matched the curriculum. He took it upon himself to have a dabble in writing a series of problem-solving books which led to him, along with my teaching colleague Harry O’Brien, to create the immensely successful Maths Plus series – a teachers’ favourite since first published in 1994.

That series has been a springboard for a number of other publishing projects that have sought to provide teachers and students with resources that enable achievement of all relevant outcomes in a meaningful and enjoyable context.

In order to keep his mind fresh and thoughts clear, Greg recommends staring every day with a swim or surf at Cronulla.