MSE News: Practical maths courses to be offered to students

Former_MSE_Helen

Sixth-formers will be offered practical maths courses that teach everyday maths skills from this week...

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Practical maths courses to be offered to students




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missbiggles1

Makes you wonder what they've been up to in the 11 years of maths education they received before reaching the 6th form!

MacMickster

You'll qualify to study it if you achieve a C or above in GCSE maths. It is however up to individual schools and colleges to decide to provide the course. The Government couldn't give us the figures of how many are offering it at launch.

So those in most need of practical maths skills won't be eligible to take this course? Something doesn't add up.

ViolaLass

MacMickster wrote: »

So those in most need of practical maths skills won't be eligible to take this course? Something doesn't add up.

If they fail the GCSE, they work towards it/an equivalent again.

Pincher

It took me years to realise that helping idiots is bad for them.

They just keep coming back to ask you to do the simplest thing, again and again.

My sister never learned to wire a plug, because I did it for her.
I assume her husband has been performing that duty for her, and now it's the son.

Cold turkey, lock them in a room with no food, just water, until they learn something.

Gryphon005

Practical maths should be offered *instead of*, as well as *in addition to* GCSE maths.

The GCSE qualification is essentially an academic subject to prepare students for A level and higher mathematical studies. It was never originally intended that GCSE maths be taken by ALL students at the age of 16. Hence we have vast numbers of students (40% or so?) re-taking their maths in year 12, as they failed to get grades A to C on their initial attempt.

The maths GCSE demands that students learn topics such as geometry and algebra, hardly of practical use in everyday life. In nearly 40 years of employment I've never needed to work out (say) the area of a hexagon, or to solve a quadratic equation.

Of far greater use to the majority of the population would be an understanding of statistics and how we are routinely misled through their use by politicians, civil servants, scientists and medics, all intent on furthering their interests at our expense.

So, let's stop this unrealistic expectation that ALL students should obtain GCSE maths. Leave the GCSE to those going on to study maths at a higher level and substitute a Practical Maths qualification for the rest of the population.

torbrex

If I read this right the students have to pass a maths exam before they get taught how to count.

ViolaLass

I think MSE are misrepresenting (have misunderstood?) what Core Maths is for.

It's intended for those students who are not doing A-level maths but still wish to study some maths beyond GCSE. It is not in any way intended to be a replacement for GCSE.

footyguy

Sixth-formers will be offered practical maths courses that teach skills including working out interest, currency rates and profit margins ...

The course, which has the same UCAS points as an AS level,..

You'll qualify to study it if you achieve a C or above in GCSE maths.

What is happening to mathematics teaching/exam syllabus lately?

This may make me sound like an old fogey, which I'm not, but I'm sure I learnt how to work out things like interest, currency rates and profit margins when I was still in junior school, although admittedly it may have been as late as yr9 by the time we got into some of the more complicated APR calculations.

With all the who-ha I read about recently regarding Hannah's sweets asked about in this years GCSE maths paper, whats next?
A level students expected to understand how to do long division, perhaps???

:cool:

footyguy

Pincher wrote: »

...My sister never learned to wire a plug, because I did it for her.
I assume her husband has been performing that duty for her, and now it's the son....

No, everything comes with a pre-fitted plug nowadays ... by law ... as we continue to pander to the lowest common denominators in this land

ViolaLass

footyguy wrote: »

What is happening to mathematics teaching/exam syllabus lately?

This may make me sound like an old fogey, which I'm not, but I'm sure I learnt how to work out things like interest, currency rates and profit margins when I was still in junior school, although admittedly it may have been as late as yr9 by the time we got into some of the more complicated APR calculations.

This stuff is all still in the GCSE. I think MSE have misrepresented what Core Maths is about.