C1334728
Matthew Keepin
“Mathematics should not be compulsory in secondary school. Discuss:”
Introduction
As part of a new scheme, in England, put in place by the Department for Education, “Students who reached the end of secondary school without a grade C or better in GCSE Maths would have to continue the subject in some way, up to the age of 18 or until they did achieve that qualification” (Department for Education). Prior to this, students could end their studies in Mathematics at the age of 16 regardless of the outcome of their GCSE grade.
The education authorities in Wales have yet to implement such a scheme and young people are still able to leave school at 16. This could well prove to be detrimental to their career prospects.
This …show more content…
An obvious piece of technology is the mobile phone, a multi functioning device no longer just used to call, or even text - it is used as an alarm, camera, to find out the latest news of the world or as a calendar, even a calculator. Similar can be said of a tablet, gone are the days of a stationary computer, or even a laptop, many people now have one which does so many things and keeps contact with the fast moving pace of life. Both these devices are based on a numerical system to work?
This example is just one of an extremely common device that many of the population possess. However, this wonderful piece of engineering would not be possible without, among others, computer scientists, physicists, engineers and Mathematicians.
In order for people to continue to thrive in this industry, it is crucial that skilled scientists and Mathematicians are qualifying with an understanding of the basic principles required. It is unfeasible to expect pupils around the age of 11 to make a decision to enter a scientific area of study or not. Young people must be introduced to Mathematics and Science in order to promote these subjects and to stimulate …show more content…
“...financial education will be included in the National Curriculum in England.” (Money Advice Service, 2013)
Without such an education, it is inconceivable to expect young people to leave education and make sensible decisions to protect themselves financially.
Pupils’ Voice
It is inevitable that a proportion of students in schools will argue that Mathematics is not important. Some believe that it will never benefit them in the future and learning topics such as algebra is a waste of time. Interestingly, according to a survey, only 2% of pupils with a target grade of C thought that Maths was “not useful in life” whereas 9% of pupils with a target grade of A* thought the same. It is important to note that the sample sizes of these two groups of pupils have a large range. Furthermore, a staggering 35% of predicted A* students believed that Maths was “Not needed for future degree/career” (Brown, Brown, and Bibby,
Matthew Keepin
“Mathematics should not be compulsory in secondary school. Discuss:”
Introduction
As part of a new scheme, in England, put in place by the Department for Education, “Students who reached the end of secondary school without a grade C or better in GCSE Maths would have to continue the subject in some way, up to the age of 18 or until they did achieve that qualification” (Department for Education). Prior to this, students could end their studies in Mathematics at the age of 16 regardless of the outcome of their GCSE grade.
The education authorities in Wales have yet to implement such a scheme and young people are still able to leave school at 16. This could well prove to be detrimental to their career prospects.
This …show more content…
An obvious piece of technology is the mobile phone, a multi functioning device no longer just used to call, or even text - it is used as an alarm, camera, to find out the latest news of the world or as a calendar, even a calculator. Similar can be said of a tablet, gone are the days of a stationary computer, or even a laptop, many people now have one which does so many things and keeps contact with the fast moving pace of life. Both these devices are based on a numerical system to work?
This example is just one of an extremely common device that many of the population possess. However, this wonderful piece of engineering would not be possible without, among others, computer scientists, physicists, engineers and Mathematicians.
In order for people to continue to thrive in this industry, it is crucial that skilled scientists and Mathematicians are qualifying with an understanding of the basic principles required. It is unfeasible to expect pupils around the age of 11 to make a decision to enter a scientific area of study or not. Young people must be introduced to Mathematics and Science in order to promote these subjects and to stimulate …show more content…
“...financial education will be included in the National Curriculum in England.” (Money Advice Service, 2013)
Without such an education, it is inconceivable to expect young people to leave education and make sensible decisions to protect themselves financially.
Pupils’ Voice
It is inevitable that a proportion of students in schools will argue that Mathematics is not important. Some believe that it will never benefit them in the future and learning topics such as algebra is a waste of time. Interestingly, according to a survey, only 2% of pupils with a target grade of C thought that Maths was “not useful in life” whereas 9% of pupils with a target grade of A* thought the same. It is important to note that the sample sizes of these two groups of pupils have a large range. Furthermore, a staggering 35% of predicted A* students believed that Maths was “Not needed for future degree/career” (Brown, Brown, and Bibby,