: he encourages other explanations, and he listens. The student teacher does neither of these things. As someone in a position of power, she appears to abuse the students' trust. She does not let them suggest alternative strategies, she does not listen, she quashes their enthusiasm and refuses to help. Bibby (2006; forthcoming) reports that learners aged 9-11 and 12-14 appear unable to talk about mathematics without reference to their teachers, demonstrating the intensely emotional nature of their relationships. We see this also in the following extract, this time from a Key Stage 2 (ages 9-11) discussion: