Rethinking Numeracy for Life, as ‘Mathematical and Data Education’
The summer holidays are drawing to a close, and with it we have the latest crop of GCSE and A level results. We have to congratulate our young people and their teachers on the successes of so many. But when we analyse the results, we find, yet again, that we are facing the question: why do around 30% of our children “fail” GCSE maths? And does it matter?
It certainly does matter. Young people “failing” GCSE maths will find that certain paths in their ongoing educational journey will be closed to them; there will be jobs they cannot apply for. And, for our population as a whole, our failure to endow our young people with basic numeracy and sound data literacy poses a threat to the ongoing prosperity and well-being of our country, both individually and as a society.
What is the answer? Is there an answer? Yes, there is! The Royal Society recently released a report, “A New Approach to Mathematical and Data Education”, envisioning a future where mathematical and data education (MDE) in our schools would be tailored to provide our children with the skills, confidence, and capabilities they need and deserve to prepare them for their data-rich future world of work and citizenship.
We need to rethink the way we “do” maths and data education in schools. To do this, we have to consider carefully:
What we teach? What are the general mathematical and data competencies that all young people must have when they leave full-time education?
How & where do we teach it? While the foundational mathematics will absolutely need to be introduced in specialist maths lessons, many of the general mathematical competencies, or ‘quantitative literacy’, will be met in other classes in school – in science, in geography, in design and technology, for instance. This is an amazing opportunity, often missed, to support our MDE and to give children experience and opportunity to use their mathematics in creative and practical ways
Who teaches it? There is a critical shortage of qualified mathematics teachers. Many maths lessons, even in secondary schools, are delivered by non-maths specialists who have not been trained to teach maths. Too many primary school teachers themselves profess a lack of confidence in maths.
It is imperative that we support all teachers teaching maths and data, whether in a formal ‘maths’ lesson or within another class. They must be trained, supported and given the resources they need to enable our children to gain competence, confidence and experience in using maths.
When do we teach it? MDE should not stop at 16. We argue that we need a broader and more balanced post-16 curriculum with continued learning in maths and data literacy (as well as science, humanities, literacy, and languages) for all students until they leave formal education at 18.
And critically: How do we test what has been learned? Can we devise an assessment system that allows all children to gain certification in what they can do and what they have achieved, rather than facing a cliff-edge of subject exam-based GCSEs which act as a gateway to their future (and of course, if someone “passes” GCSE with the lowest grade, we still don’t know what actual maths they can do!). Wouldn’t it be better if all our children could gather a portfolio of general mathematical and data skills and competencies, which they could accumulate through practical use of maths throughout their formal schooling? This portfolio could act both as a springboard to further qualification, evidence for an employer of the skills they possess, and as a confidence-building record of success.
Finally, and most importantly, we recognise the importance of data literacy – the ability to read, understand, create and communicate with data. It is rather shocking that, in our new, data-dominated world, the importance of data literacy was hardly recognised in the recent curriculum review (apart from a passing mention in Geography). Data literacy will only be gained by systematically offering children the opportunity to collect, analyse and interpret data across the entire curriculum.
With the new prime minister calling for more vocational education, starting earlier in secondary schools, we have an opportunity to consider what mathematical and data skills and competencies our children will need to prepare themselves for this new world.
This is not optional. It is vital for the success of our children – for their health, wealth and chances of success.
Jane Clarke is Chair of the Royal Society Advisory Committee on Mathematical Education, Emeritus Professor of Molecular Biophysics in the Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry at the University of Cambridge, and former President of Wolfson College.
