Mathematics skills out for the count

Two recent articles in the Daily Telegraph, ”Students in almost 60 percent of high schools taught by unqualified teachers” and “Mathematics skills out for the count“, highlight two key (and related) concerns in Australian mathematics education: the continuing shortages of skilled maths teachers in high schools (with one in five schools having at least one maths teacher [...]

Clay-Mahler lecture series

The Australian Mathematical Science Institute has set up a page regarding the Clay-Mahler lectures, including photos, videos, and media coverage. I have put some of the slides of my own talks online on my blog: Here are the slides for the public lecture “Mathematical research and the internet”. Here are the slides for the four [...]

Claims VU’s maths cut doesn’t add up

In the article “Claims VU’s maths cut doesn’t add up” in yesterday’s Australian by Andrew Trounson, comes the disturbing news that the draft “change plan” at Victoria University (part of its larger plan of voluntary and targeted redundancies to address its budgetary shortfall) will cut mathematics staff in the School of Engineering and Science (which [...]

Review into poor mathematics qualifications

In today’s Australian, Andrew Trounson reports that the G08 has launched a review into the declining state of maths at Australian schools and universities, headed by Gavin Brown, currently director of the forthcoming Royal Institution of Australia, and formerly the vice-chancellor at U. Sydney and head of the maths department at UNSW, among other positions.  [...]

Rebuilding the mathematical sciences

In an article today for ScienceAlert entitled “Rebuilding the mathematical sciences“, Hyam Rubinstein writes on the recent decline in mathematics education in Australia, and on how to rebuild it, in particular promoting the National Maths Strategy recently completed by the Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute. (Thanks to Jan Thomas for the link.)

Maths in crisis as teachers go private

The acute shortage of trained maths teachers is finally beginning to get some attention in the national media, thanks in part to the NCMS strategy paper mentioned in the previous post.  From today’s Australian: ADVANCED mathematics is disappearing from public school classrooms, leaving students able to learn only basic maths, because the few qualified teachers [...]

No maths for top kids

In a recent article for the Sunday Telegraph entitled “No maths for top kids”,  Miawling Lam writes on how the acute shortage of trained maths high school teachers is seriously impacting the ability of mathematically advanced students to get a quality education in the subject. The president of the Australian Mathematical Society, Nalini Joshi, sent [...]

A disturbing set of numbers

The incoming president of the Australian Mathematical Society, Nalini Joshi, writes today in the Australian on the shortages of qualified mathematics teachers at the secondary level, and the concomitant decline in mathematics achievement levels of students.

Renaissance of the sciences as student demand increases for courses

The Australian reports today that there has been a significant surge (by 10-20 percent) in student applications for maths, science, and engineering courses in Australia this year, which is being attributed both to the significant reduction in HECS fees for these subjects and to increased social awareness among students as to the importance of these [...]

Maths trust calls for teaching shakeup

In a brief item for ABC news, Peter Taylor of the Australian Mathematics Trust notes declining enrolments in advanced mathematics in Australian schools and universities, and calls for an increased emphasis on problem-solving skills in maths classes in schools that go beyond the current curriculum. Coincidentally, in the recent article “Is the sky still falling?” [...]