Patricia Fenton: Maths a vital tool in our world

Math skills are vital to have.

The debate following the launch of the New Zealand Initiative's report on the Numeracy Project (Numeracy project results do not add up: Parata, Northern Advocate, Friday, June 5) prompted me to seek out a study I conducted several years ago, while researching the teaching of primary mathematics in an international context.

Among other things, I concluded that teachers' subject knowledge - obviously - is a crucial factor. All teachers should be provided with regular, high-quality professional development to enable them to implement effective teaching programmes. Children need opportunities to practise and perfect skills and procedures. They also need to be able to ask questions, articulate thoughts, receive responses from knowledgeable professionals and reflect on their findings, in order to construct meaning and apply understanding.

Well researched and designed, learner-friendly core resources and supplementary materials should be readily accessible and teachers should plan in collaborative teams to capitalise on each other's strengths and implement resources effectively and consistently.

On my return to the New Zealand education scene, I was concerned to find that core resources had been withdrawn and individual teachers were queuing up each morning to photocopy material from a range of sources. In recent times, a new set of core resources has become available and schools are using these to a greater or lesser extent.

The teaching of maths needs to be addressed as a discipline and as a language to interpret, analyse and communicate about the world.

Regular, uninterrupted, well-structured maths lessons should take place frequently. Time should also be allowed for transdisciplinary learning which draws on mathematical applications - such as graphing data gained from researching relevant and significant units of study such as "Reduce, reuse, recycle".

A programme which emphasises mathematical processes enables learners to develop computational skills and competencies while becoming flexible problem solvers and effective communicators. As much as possible, maths should be related to real life.

Children progress through stages of learning in different ways and at different rates. Regular monitoring and assessment using a variety of approaches, guided by progressive performance indicators, is essential. This enables teachers to identify and respond to specific learning needs in ways that are meaningful and developmentally appropriately to individuals and groups.

Teachers in primary schools devote many hours to assessment. The application of assessment data to improve learning outcomes is inconsistent and dependent on a range of complex factors which teachers may have limited control over.

Undoubtedly there are reasons for concern but the real danger now is another pendulum swing. A thorough analysis of what is working well in the teaching of maths is the first step to identifying ways to maximise this potential.

It's encouraging to see Hekia Parata, in response to the report of the New Zealand Initiative, acknowledging the importance of basic mathematical skills but also pointing out the need for students to develop problem-solving and critical-thinking skills. As she says: "In today's world it is not what you know that is important, but how you apply that knowledge that has value."