Science Spin November 2008

Is maths really the problem?

By Sean O Leary

"Do not worry about your difficulties in Mathematics. I can assure you mine are still greater." - Albert Einstein

I'vebeen worrying about something for the last few years and it seems that it's not just me who worries about it. Every year, this problem grabs media attention, usually at the end of the school Summer holidays.

After the Leaving Certificate results come out in August, everybody seems to worry about it. Yes, it's the failure rates in maths that concerns me. I'm not sure if everybody else worries about it all year long but I assure you that for pupils, teachers and parents, it's a year long issue and may even be a life-long issue.

Maths is a problem not just because it can be inaccessible but because many people don't like talking about it. When I express the source of my concern, most peoples' eyes glaze over as they utter "I was never any good at maths."

From an economic point of view, I understand that we need proficient and clever mathematicians to help solve many of the problems that confront modern society. In recent times we've had reports from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), which confirm that we're not as proficient in maths as the Chinese, Finnish and Koreans. This should concern us all.

But what can we do about it? Well, we have to stop repeatedly relying on the argument that we need proficient mathematicians for our future economy. In my opinion, very few teachers and pupils are motivated by this fact.

Why do we live in a country full of people who believe that they are no good at maths? There are even educational experts around nowadays who talk about 'maths anxiety'. We have to look at why pupils fail maths and why many pupils consider themselves 'no good' or 'bad' at maths. We could begin by asking people who struggle with maths how we could improve maths learning and teaching in the classroom.

Then we need to give maths an image change so that we can get past the 'expert' view of the mathematician and start talking about what maths is really about. In the real world, which includes the workplace, mathematics isn't just about sums. It's not just about adding, subtracting, multiplying, dividing and manipulating algebraic equations. Instead, maths is about logical thinking, problem-solving and creativity.

Most mathematical problems that we encounter outside school are nothing like those that we have been 'taught' to solve in school. So perhaps we have to show students of maths how to solve problems in a flexible and creative way.

Most problems that we come across in the classroom are closed problems and have one specific answer, which can have a limiting effect on pupils' learning. A simple way to make the classroom more exciting and realistic is to open up problems so that pupils must become real problem solvers.

For instance, a typical maths problem may read 'How many 2 cent coins would you need to get 36 cent?' Some pupils reading this problem will know that they have to do something with the numbers. Most will figure out that they have to divide the 36 by the 2 to get 18 coins. However some pupils will multiply the numbers and some might even subtract the 2 from the 36.

Another way to teach this problem is to give pupils the coins. Pupils that have previously shown difficulty will have a much greater chance of solving a concrete problem. In fact, including concrete materials will not only help these pupils to solve a problem but will also help them progress onto more analytical or abstract maths.

Once a concrete problem is solved, the exercise could be opened up by simply restructuring the question. 'How many coins does it take to make 36 cents?' Another question might be: 'I have 5 coins, four are the same but one is different. What is the most money I could have?' These questions could also be supported with concrete examples.

Examples

In the classroom, I was always struck by the ability of my pupils to solve maths problems once they had been provided with concrete examples. The effort in planning these lessons is worth it because pupils show a real interest in maths.

The learning and teaching of maths can provide pupils with the confidence for solving new problems. It can empower pupils to find innovative solutions. It is this simple fact that can liberate us from alienating so many pupils from learning and enjoying maths. Of course, it also makes maths a critical subject for our economic future.

We have to include all pupils regardless of their ability, interests or background in the learning and teaching of maths in our classrooms. We can do this by differentiating the curriculum for all learners. Maths is for everyone.

We have to show all pupils that maths is a way of thinking about the world and give them opportunities to apply mathematical skills to solve problems that are of interest and relevance to them. We have to give all pupils opportunities to be creative in the maths classroom.

How can we make maths accessible to all pupils? If we begin to think about teaching and learning with this question in mind, we will be able to improve maths learning and teaching for all pupils. Who knows, at the same time, we might even produce capable and enthusiastic mathematicians for our future economic needs.

There is hope on the horizon. The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment is piloting Project Maths in twenty four schools this year, which places more emphasis on student understanding of maths concepts, with increased use of contexts and applications that will enable students to relate mathematics to everyday experience.

The Project Maths initiative will also focus on developing students' problem-solving skills. In parallel with changes in curriculum, there will be changes in the way mathematics is assessed, to reflect the different emphasis on understanding and skills in the teaching and learning of mathematics.

The Special Education Support Service will be delivering seminars for teachers throughout the year on adapting learning and teaching in maths for pupils with special educational needs.

I was infinitely worried about maths but now that I've shared my concerns, I'm feeling a bit better. You know what they say, a problem shared is a problem halved. But I wonder can you calculate what half of infinity is?

Dr Sean O'Leary is Deputy National Co-ordinator, Special Education Support Service