Letter: Letter: Practical maths

From MARK STEVENSON

Daphne Jackson’s report on the teaching of mathematics left me feeling
that she seems to have put aside the case of students with lower ability
(Talking Point, 17 November). She starts off by telling us that ‘pupils
of all abilities’ need opportunities to show what they are capable of; but
in her proposed solutions, it is the ‘able’ students that are catered for.

Also, although reducing the number of different syllabuses will bring
about uniformity, it will breed resentment in a teaching profession that
likes to have the choice of what it teaches our future mathematicians.

In addition, if there is to be coursework in the GCSE maths examinations,
there should be greater options for the students to choose from. Speaking
to many GCSE students, I find that they are bored with doing projects on
such trivial and simple matters, such as finding ‘the area used for advertising
in several different newspapers’. Although these projects should be kept
for the less able students, a graduated level of project difficulty should
be available to cover all student abilities.

I feel that Jackson provides another example of how boards like SEAC
are bringing in theoretical, rather than practical schemes to our education
system.

Mark Stevenson Bishop’s Stortford Hertfordshire