Mathematics should not be divorced from life

Maths exists to solve problems in everyday life. Unfortunately, in schools maths has been taught not as a tool for use outside the classroom, but as a mystery existing in an ivory tower. Is it any wonder that so many pupils give up trying? They cannot see the relevance of the material they're being taught.

When schools were first set up they had a very pragmatic approach to education. Often they were set up by churches or other religious bodies with the purpose of promoting a particular religious philosophy. In the UK, in the 19th century, rival school systems were set up by the Church of England, the Roman Catholic church and the Methodists. To be able to learn and understand the religious teachings, the pupils had to learn to read, so literacy was taught. Since scholars would not be respected and the religion would lose kudos if the scholars could not match the numerical abilities of ordinary people, arithmetic was taught; and since there were no printing machines handwriting was taught. It was all very practical. As the industrial revolution created ever more sophisticated products, ever higher skills were required of the workforce, this brought the state into the education business. But still education was pragmatically focused, it was about allowing people to read work instructions, about enabling them to do the calculations needed by their employers, but then educational theorists got involved. "What is the point of education?" they asked. They came to the conclusion that it was to produce "a well rounded individual". What on Earth does that mean? In the words of my P5 teacher, Miss Naylor, "Don't beg the question, boy!" There is no kudos in doing mundane things, so teachers shyed away from the practical aspects of their subjects, and over time each subject became more and more rarified and less aligned to the needs of the real world. A comparison of my great uncle's French primer and that I suffered under demonstrates the progression. His text book is full of phrases such as "in reply to your communication of the 16th inst." and "delivery of your goods is scheduled for"... that is, solid commercial language that would be of use to an employer and would help the pupil make a living. My french text book actually attempted to teach me the french for the verb "to consecrate", a verb that I have never used in English let alone in French. The same process has happened in Maths.

Whereas, once upon a time, maths was taught with the specific aim of enabling people to perform better at work, it is now taught as an abstract subject, and consequently many pupils are alienated from it. At Puppet Maths we link the maths we teach to the real world, and make it relevant to the lives of our pupils.






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