Comment: It’s no secret that Kiwi students lack enthusiasm for maths.
One of the nine targets the Government introduced last week is to increase Year 8 students’ understanding of maths to the expected curriculum level by over 90 percent. That’s almost double in just six years.
With maths understanding sitting at 42 percent for Year 8 students, much more needs to be done to engage kids in maths if we are going to achieve this.
But the question of how remains.
Our first instinct might be to put more pressure on teachers, tighten up truancy rates, or overhaul the current curriculum, but this would not adequately meet the challenge. Shifting pressure onto teachers does not have a history of immediate uplift of student success either – with less time for more nuanced student support.
We need to take a step back and try to understand why New Zealand’s mathematics score has dropped, and why our students are more likely to feel bored in maths and do less homework than other OECD nations. Why are we seeing higher levels of disruption in the classroom, which have a proven negative impact on learning and understanding of maths?
How can we engage and encourage our Kiwi kids to show up, so they want to receive a world-class education, while counteracting disruptive classroom behaviour?
I strongly believe that financial literacy, which should be a standalone subject in the curriculum, is our gateway to greater maths engagement and competency.
Understanding concepts such as percentages, fractions, and ratios are crucial for knowing how to budget, save and invest; something that every young person should know to set them up for their future.
Learning about numbers can be fun, and learning early means Kiwi kids can develop positive attitudes and behaviour towards maths and financial literacy.
We need to equip our teachers with resources to encourage modern, self-directed learning, so they capture the interest of our younger generations.
I’ve seen firsthand the value of existing online resources, where technology and gamified learning teaches kids an array of financial skills in a fun and engaging way. We have worked with an online financial literacy programme that has achieved a consistent 44 per cent improvement in financial knowledge year-on-year. That, in my view, is exceptional.
If we saw the same growth in maths knowledge in our Year 8 students, then the Government’s six-year targets could be achievable.
The Government’s education target focuses on getting more students at “expected curriculum levels”, including maths, by 2030 and highlights the need for foundational numeracy skills and “mastering the basics”.
However, the detail on exactly how government and schools will work together to achieve this is missing, and with 58 percent of children heading to high school below the expected curriculum level in maths – we need solutions, fast.
The instinct may be to create something new – but time to research, generate and roll out something new will eat into the timeframe to achieve these goals. There are successful programmes in place now. The additional benefit is the success has been proven, and thus it could scale.
While the Government does have a major role to play, collectively we can all play a role. And I believe that improving maths engagement and outcomes creates financially successful communities.
We know from PISA research that there has been a decline in confidence in maths since 2012, and that students had the greatest confidence in maths tasks they were exposed to the most. Perhaps therein lies the answer. We should be exposing kids in day-to-day activities that include maths.
Parents can reinforce this at home by developing their children’s interest in maths by including it in everyday tasks.
Encourage kids to budget their pocket money or to reach a savings target. Involve them in grocery shopping, show them how to stay within a budget, or how to calculate discount rates. The cost-of-living crisis should be grounds enough to ensure younger generations can do maths.
Businesses too can play a role by inviting students from local communities for a work experience day to demonstrate how maths and financial literacy skills are valuable.
If we can inspire Kiwi kids to see the value in learning about maths, then we can be hopeful for a future where lack of interest in maths is replaced by understanding, enjoyment and confidence.
The Milford Foundation provides grants to online financial literacy platform MoneyTime
