Every year, thousands of Arts students struggle with mathematics. Some fail it repeatedly. Some lose university opportunities because of it. Others leave school convinced that they
The report indicates that every year, thousands of Arts students struggle with mathematics. Some fail it repeatedly. Some lose university opportunities because of it. Others leave school convinced that they are simply “bad at maths.”
It further notes that perhaps the problem is not always the student.
Perhaps, sometimes, it is what we insist every student must learn, and how we insist on examining them.
Sefa wants to become an actor and broadcast journalist. Glovus is determined to become a top engineer.
Why must Sefa write essentially the same Mathematics examination as Glovus?
Of course, both need mathematics. But do they need the same mathematics, at the same depth, for the same purpose?
Glovus will need strong algebra, geometry, trigonometry and increasingly advanced mathematical reasoning. His future profession will demand it. Challenge him. Stretch him. Give him all the mathematics his engineering ambitions require.
But Sefa will also live in a world of numbers.
He will negotiate contracts, calculate commissions, pay taxes, manage income, understand percentages, budget productions, compare loans, assess investments, interpret audience statistics and perhaps eventually run his own media company.
Why not teach him mathematics deliberately designed for that world?
We have sometimes confused difficult mathematics with useful mathematics.
Pythagoras’ theorem is important. Geometry, algebra and trigonometry are indispensable in engineering, architecture, science and technology.
For millions of students heading into law, journalism, acting, hospitality, administration, entrepreneurship, public service and the creative industries, the mathematics that will confront them repeatedly is often far more practical.
Percentages. Interest. Profit and loss. Mark ups and margins. Tax. Payroll. Exchange rates. Inflation. Loans. Mortgages. Savings. Investments. Insurance. Depreciation. Budgeting. Cash flow and basic statistics.
