Using mathematical gossip in the classroom allows teachers to expand their students' horizons, and provide pathways to improvement of understanding. The expansion of a simple idea into another mathematical context can enrich a student's learning. In particular it may help to bridge the gap between purely procedural approaches and a conceptual understanding of the underlying mathematics. Having both procedural and conceptual understanding provides a springboard for strategic use of mathematics in both mathematical and social contexts. The connections built through making use of mathematical gossip allow a "big picture" view of mathematics to be taken, and may improve the ability to use mathematics strategically.
