What's a maths syllabus?

Fri, 19/09/2008 - 10:03 -- James Oakley

Those who were in my A-level maths class at school had the pleasure of being taught by a delightful teacher, who pretended not to didn't know what was on the syllabus. We were taught maths, and at some point he had a quick peak at the syllabus to check we were ready for the exams.

How heart-warming to read the BBC News headline: Too much maths 'taught to test'.

Almost half of England's schools are not teaching mathematics well enough, putting too much emphasis on "teaching to the test", inspectors have said.

Ofsted said pupils were taught to pass exams and results had improved, but understanding of the subject had not.

Good teachers know that the best way to ensure pupils make good progress — and to pass exams and tests — is to give them a broad, in depth understanding of the subject. There is no reason why testing should result in a narrow focus or uninspiring lessons.

Quite Right Too! (note number 36.)

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