Teaching mathematics in school and university: the case of a boundary crosser

Teaching and learning at school and university can be quite different and this might present students with problems at the transition point. We analyse the case of Joanne, who teaches mathematics in both places. Her unusual case allowed us to see important institutional differences from the teacher’s point of view, that is from the perspective of a “boundary-crosser” practising in the two systems. We conclude that the institutional constraints, demands and expectations at school and university serve to shape the pedagogy in distinct ways but that, nevertheless, Joanne has the freedom to implement at university a pedagogy based on formative assessment approaches which takes account of the students’ prior knowledge and ‘takes them on from there’. It seems this can work well for the institution as well as for the students.