Tag Archives: maths

Maths at school: where does the problem come from?

Maths at school: where does the problem come from?

It is a discipline that occupies a special place in the French school system and is part of the so-called fundamental learning. However, “the current image of mathematics is worrying”, noted Cédric Villani, mathematician and deputy, and Charles Torossian, inspector of National Education in their report on the teaching of maths delivered in 2018. And the […] … learn more→

What place for maths in France?

What place for maths in France?

A storm wind currently seems to be blowing on the teaching of mathematics if we judge by the sensational declarations of this beginning of the year 2022 around the reform of the high school initiated by the Minister of National Education Jean-Michel Blanquer, and entered into force in 2019. By putting an end to the […] … learn more→

The better you are at math, the more money seems to influence your satisfaction

The better you are at math, the more money seems to influence your satisfaction

Your grade school math teacher probably told you that being good at math would be very important to your grownup self. But maybe the younger you didn’t believe that at the time. A lot of research, though, has shown that your teacher was right. We are two researchers who study decision-making and how it relates to […] … learn more→

Transforming math learning, a challenge for school

Transforming math learning, a challenge for school

France, last of the class in maths? Published in December 2020, the latest results of the TIMSS survey are cause for concern for parents and teachers. Indeed, in mathematics, France is in last place at European level and among the very last at OECD level. How to explain such a poor performance? TIMSS is an international program to assess the performance of […] … learn more→

How to help your children with maths you don’t understand

How to help your children with maths you don’t understand

School closures have left many parents in charge of overseeing their children’s education at home. If you are one of them, you might be struggling with maths in particular – not least due to having to grapple with topics and techniques you are unfamiliar with, such as number bonds, abundant numbers, chunking and more. But this is where a […] … learn more→

When children’s real lives are part of maths lessons, it’s easier to learn

When children’s real lives are part of maths lessons, it’s easier to learn

The poor performance of many children in mathematics continues to absorb researchers around the world. Studies of the possible reasons have explored various perspectives, including children’s thinking processes. But low achievement remains a problem worldwide. It’s a problem because mathematics is the bedrock for the development of scientific reasoning. It’s taught at school to help children learn how to […] … learn more→

Why South Africa’s declining maths performance is a worry

Why South Africa’s declining maths performance is a worry

South Africa’s Department of Basic Education recently released the country’s National Senior Certificate results for the class of 2019. These are commonly known as the “matric results” and they determine school-leavers’ admission and placement into tertiary level study. About 81.3% of those who wrote the matriculation exams passed. There has been much well-deserved celebration of this […] … learn more→

Let’s teach students why math matters in the real world

Let’s teach students why math matters in the real world

“When will I ever use this?” It’s a question math and science teachers hear all the time from their high school students. Teaching science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) skills is more important than ever, but it’s often difficult for students to understand the practical applications of such fundamental learning and how it will help […] … learn more→