Maths for All...Does it Add Up?
With Maths being proposed as compulsory for all under-18s, is it the right fit for everyone or is it the Marmite of subjects?
Maths is like Marmite, you either love it or hate it.
With the UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak proposing plans for all pupils in England to study maths in some form until the age of 18, this idea is bound to cause division.
We all know people who love Mathematics and those who can’t wait to drop it as soon as possible. Others who enjoyed it but then had an unpleasant experience at school that put them right off the subject.
The irony here is that the person proposing the plan has degrees in Politics, Philosophy and Economics and also in Business Administration - both of which are focused around statistics.
It could be argued that the evidence for greater access to all of the STEM subjects enhances career opportunities and therefore a greater knowledge of Maths is an advantage.
However, there are many brilliant, bright learners that excel in other subject areas but are not great at Maths.
It is therefore firstly not an inclusive approach, and secondly it implies that other subject areas are not worthy, which is purely subjective.
Perhaps this idea is simply a headline-grabber, or it could be an opportunity to instigate more broad-reaching and inclusive pedagogical approaches to this field of study.
Either way, it requires some creative thinking and investment in order to provide a range of opportunities to make a ‘maths for all’ approach a success.
It is an opportunity for teaching and learning and if this is overlooked then it will be at the expensive of a wide-range of worthwhile subjects.