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Maths education

Posted in: Discussion and Debate | Engineer poll

celebrity, education, mathematics

Mon, 8 Aug 2011 11:00 am

Stuart Nathan

Posts: 2

The government's advisor on maths education, TV presenter Carol Voderman, has recommended that maths GSCEs should be split into two subjects, arithmetic and algebra, and that maths study should be compulsory to age 18.

Will this be an advantage for science and technology in the UK? Will it help change attitudes towards maths? Most importantly, will it help solve the problem of innumeracy? Moreover, why is the goverment asking Carol Vorderman for advice on maths education?

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fat man on a bicycle

Posts: 3

Mon, 8 Aug 2011 1:23 pm

We shouldn't force maths on everyone until the age of 18. We should restore the standard of the sixteen plus exams to what they used to be- ie about what A levels are now. Similarly A level standards must be restored, and we need to ditch the idiotic S level that does so much damage by reducing the overall teaching time in the sixth form years.

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Trevor Best

Posts: 1

Mon, 8 Aug 2011 3:42 pm

It's about time!!! Some of your readers may remember a time some 15 to 18 years ago when the government of the time decided to "ease" the burden of pupils by changing the educational teaching and examination marking structure so that marks were given for displaying an "understanding" of the subject rather than accuracy while disregarding the ability to spell, write cogent essays and calculate without hand held calculators. We are now reaping the rewards of this non-sense as the pupils educated during this period, and since, are coming through into industry and commerce. Industry captains have been complaining for years that they are finding great difficulty in replacing their aging work forces with employees that have only basic education skills.

Too late!! This brood is with us and many are controlling our daily lives unable to speak or count correctly. If Carol Vorderman can get her way and we start again we may be able to reap greater rewards in 5 or 10 or 15 years.

Of course, not all pupils are of the above abilities as some came from homes with concerned parents but we are woefully short of budding engineers and scientists and a work force with commonsense just when we need them most.

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Oliver Dunthorne

Posts: 1

Mon, 8 Aug 2011 6:41 pm

I can see the point for students taking science or engineering subjects at A level but little point for the rest as they probably do not even get an GCSE in maths. I believe less than half the country qualifies as numerate!

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JD

Posts: 1

Mon, 8 Aug 2011 8:56 pm

I'm not sure why there is a need to break maths up into elements, or even force people to study maths untill 18. Surely we are better to encourage those with talents in areas that are usefull to society rather than force everyone regardless of ability to follow a particular path in education.
I was lucky enough to enjoy maths and sciences at school,and have continued to use these talents in engineering. In contrast, i disliked English and arts with a passion, but 20 years later my talents accross the subjects are probably pretty even.
Everyone is good at differnt things. We should embrace this.

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