“The importance of parents in education cannot be underestimated. We may become obsessed with teachers, the minutiae of the curriculum, ministerial directives and class sizes. But research to be presented at the Growing Up in Ireland conference today confirms what seems like common sense: parents frequently make the biggest impact of all …” (more)
[Kim Bielenberg, Independent, 8 May]
“A third of businesses believe they’ll have to cut investment here or look abroad for recruits because of a skills gap in areas such as technology and maths, a study of major companies has found …” (more)
[Colm Kelpie, Independent, 6 May]
“With a month to go to the Junior Certificate exams, the number of pupils planning to take higher level maths remains at a record high, although down on earlier projections …” (more)
[Independent, 30 April]
“Dara O Briain has lamented the standard of a maths GCSE paper after whizzing through a one-hour exam in just 10 minutes …” (more)
[Independent, 23 April]
“EO Wilson is truly one of the great scientists of our time. In addition to his very extensive portfolio of important and painstaking academic publications, he has won two Pulitzer prizes for general nonfiction …” (more)
[David Bailey and Jonathan Borwein, Huffington Post, 17 April]
“For years, higher level maths struggled in the popularity stakes among Junior and Leaving Cert students. Some decided the time and effort involved simply wasn’t worth it and that their energy was spent more usefully on subjects where CAO points were easier to notch up …” (more)
[Independent, 15 April]
“There has been a massive rise in the number of Junior Certificate candidates taking higher-level maths this year, as young students sharpen their focus on college and career choices …” (more)
[Independent, 15 April]
“EO Wilson is an eminent Harvard biologist and best-selling author. I salute him for his accomplishments. But he couldn’t be more wrong in his recent piece in the Wall Street Journal (adapted from his new book Letters to a Young Scientist), in which he tells aspiring scientists that they don’t need mathematics to thrive …” (more)
[Edward Frenkel, Slate Magazine, 9 April]
“For many young people who aspire to be scientists, the great bugbear is mathematics. Without advanced math, how can you do serious work in the sciences? Well, I have a professional secret to share: Many of the most successful scientists in the world today are mathematically no more than semiliterate …” (more)
[EO Wilson, Wall Street Journal, 7 April]
“I’ve posted before about the teaching of mathematics, and the question of teaching ‘problem solving’ versus teaching basic mathematical skills, like how to add numbers, add fractions, or solve quadratic equations …” (more)
[The World According to Gar, 31 March]
“Abstract: We analyzed one decade of data collected by the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), including the mathematics and reading performance of nearly 1.5 million 15 year olds in 75 countries. Across nations, boys scored higher than girls in mathematics, but lower than girls in reading. The sex difference in reading was three times as large as in mathematics …” (more)
[Gijsbert Stoet and David Geary, PLOS ONE, 13 March]
“The new Project Maths curriculum continues to cause controversy with parents and teachers complaining that its implementation has been botched …” (more)
[Independent, 20 March]
“On Friday 8th of March I attended the ‘Why Maths Matters’ conference in University of Limerick. The day was about ‘taking stock, examining practice and developing policy’ …” (more)
[Pam O'Brien's blog, 18 March]
“Institutes of technology believe efforts to ease pressures of the college points race should not be too focused on Leaving Certificate maths performance …” (more)
[Niall Murray, Irish Examiner, 12 March]
“It seems bonus points really do add up. There has been a dramatic increase in the numbers of Leaving Certificate students taking higher-level maths in the past two years …” (more)
[Kevin Doyle, Herald, 11 March]
“Today’s figures suggest that the decision to award 25 bonus points to those who take the higher-level Leaving Cert maths paper continues to encourage young people to move up a level …” (more)
[Independent, 11 March]
“Shalosh B Ekhad, the co-author of several papers in respected mathematics journals, has been known to prove with a single, succinct utterance theorems and identities that previously required pages of mathematical reasoning …” (more)
[Natalie Wolchover, Wired, 4 March]
“Studies consistently show that males perform better in single-event math contests, but new research published in the Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization says those other studies threw in the towel too soon …” (more)
[Huffington Post, 26 February]
“The body which designed the Project Maths syllabus says it will take on board the concerns of teachers about its length and suitability. In a report to the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA), the Irish Maths Teachers Association (IMTA) raised difficulties with the course …” (more)
[Niall Murray, Irish Examiner, 22 February]
“Maths teachers say the Project Maths syllabus is too long to cover in class and exams could be penalising students with literacy difficulties. They also fear that students whose schools can schedule additional maths classes could gain an advantage over others …” (more)
[Niall Murray, Irish Examiner, 21 February]
