mathematics

Lynne McClure

Lynne McClure is a mathematics topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Lynne McClure rather than just read about it. In short: Catherine Lynne McClure (born 1952) is a British mathematics educator. From 2014 to 2022 she was director of Cambridge Mathematics, a program at the University of Cambridge that spans the university's mathematics and education faculties, Cambridge Assessment, and the Cambridge University Press, and is aimed at developing a flexible tool to inform new mathematics curricula for primary and secondary mathematics educat…

Key takeaways

Lynne McClure belongs to mathematics; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Lynne McClure to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Lynne McClure from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Catherine Lynne McClure (born 1952) is a British mathematics educator. From 2014 to 2022 she was director of Cambridge Mathematics, a program at the University of Cambridge that spans the university's mathematics and education faculties, Cambridge Assessment, and the Cambridge University Press, and is aimed at developing a flexible tool to inform new mathematics curricula for primary and secondary mathematics education. Between 2022 and 2024 she was Head of Mathematics Solutions within the Cambridge Partnership for Education at the University of Cambridge.

Education and career McClure has a psychology degree from University College London, a Postgraduate Certificate in Education from the University of Oxford, and Masters degrees from both the Open University and the University of Cambridge. McClure has taught in secondary schools and as a head teacher in primary, before moving into teacher education. She became principal lecturer in education at Oxford Brookes University and then at the University of Edinburgh, during which time she ran her own international education consultancy. Whilst at Cambridge, she directed the NRICH and Underground Maths Projects before being appointed to direct Cambridge Mathematics. McClure was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2022 New Year Honours for services to education.

Service McClure was president of the Mathematical Association for 2014–2015, and executive chair of the International Society for Design and Development in Education for 2017–2019. She has served twice on the Advisory Committee on Mathematics Education, and is now serving again in an ex-officio role. She was chair of the Strategic Board of the Cambridgeshire Maths Hub and is chair of the Local Governing Board of the Cambridge University Maths School. She is a trustee of National Numeracy and the Cambridge Philharmonic, is soon to be chair of trustees of MathsWorldUK and chairs the Education workstream of the Academy for the Mathematical Sciences. McClure is Parish Councillor for the village of Bourn.

Publications Meeting the needs of your most able pupils : mathematics, 2006 Maths problem solving, 2008

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Lynne McClure

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Lynne McClure claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In mathematics, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Lynne McClure before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Lynne McClure ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Lynne McClure

In research: Lynne McClure appears in mathematics research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Lynne McClure in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Lynne McClure is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1952 births, Academics of Oxford Brookes University, Academics of the University of Edinburgh, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Lynne McClure outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Lynne McClure in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Lynne McClure means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Lynne McClure out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Lynne McClure in simple terms?

Why does Lynne McClure matter?

Because it connects several mathematics ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Lynne McClure?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Lynne McClure.