ACME 2011 Conference Summary Report

The 2011 ACME Conference ‘Completing the square – concepts and contexts, pedagogy and politics’ debated the importance of a national policy for mathematics for 5-19 year olds. Around 170 participants including academics, teachers, industrialists and policy-makers attended the conference at the Royal Society in London, in March.

The conference opened with an introduction from the Chair – Professor Dame Julia Higgins who set the scene for the day by talking about three current issues in mathematics education:

This was followed by an update from the Department for Education, delivered by Jon Coles – Director General for Education Standards. Coles argued that there has been progress in mathematics education over the last 10 years, specifically:

However, international comparisons (such as PISA, TIMMS) suggest we are still some way off other high performing countries who have as many as four fifths of their post-16 cohort studying mathematics. Coles also mentioned how A-level Mathematics is under review, to ensure the subject is not just good preparation for a mathematics degree, but also for a range of degrees including vocational ones.

Coles also described the Government as committed to maintaining a flow of good graduates into mathematics teaching. With the bar for entry being raised to at least a lower second class degree, as well as a ‘personal skills set’ being introduced to ensure qualified teachers have good interpersonal skills as well as sound academic skills.

Andrew Hall, CEO of AQA, followed with a Keynote Address looking again at the topic of students taking GCSE Mathematics early and the potential impact this could have on their study of mathematics post-16. Hall described how there was an “urgent need” to get evidence on the subsequent progression of these students. Hall also expressed concerns about the number of students re-sitting Mathematics A-levels and questioned the reasons behind why students are doing this, and whether the AS level system should be adapted to count for half the A-level. Hall explained how he would like to see all the educational experts working together to agree a suite of post-16 mathematics qualifications that would increase participation, be fairer to students, and give a competitive advantage to the country.

The panel discussion explored the topic ‘the importance of a national policy for mathematics 5 – 19’ in a bit more detail, and included input from Chris Budd (University of Bath), Roger Billing (the Wroxham School), Elizabeth Truss (MP for South West Norfolk), Huw Kyffin (ACME Mathematical Needs Project), Andy Palmer (BT Group plc), Tim Oates (Cambridge Assessment) and Jackie Fairchild (Gosford Hill School). The speakers all gave their own insights into mathematics education that ranged from the importance of mathematics to employment, the need for mathematics to be taught in an enjoyable and engaging fashion, the need for coherence across the entire mathematics sector and the need to change the nation’s opinion towards mathematics.

Interesting issues raised by the delegates following the panel discussion included the need for mathematics teachers to receive training on how to use ICT in mathematics and the importance of young mathematics professionals visiting schools to highlight the relevance of mathematics qualifications.

The conference then split into discussion groups covering the following four topics:

The conference closed with a Keynote Address from David Spiegelhater, the Winton Professor of the Public Understanding of Risk from the University of Cambridge. Spiegelhater offered a whistle-stop tour of numerous applications of probability in the real world and how these can be used to switch students onto mathematics by highlighting the relevance of mathematics in their lives.

Visit the Conference webpage to read the full summary and to download the speakers’ presentations.