Masters of the universe
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28 / 05 / 2009 | Author: dnorris
Masters of the Universe
When a Minister stands up in Parliament and says
“We will introduce a National Numeracy Strategy.”....there is never any mention of all the back stage work that goes into making it all come about.
For those astute enough to pick up on the implications, there are always plenty of opportunities. School text books need to be rewritten, in-service training invariably expands, teacher- training takes on a whole new lease of life and maths teachers find themselves in demand.
That’s what happened in 1998, and after a while the same Minister came back to proclaim that the percentage of 11 year olds attaining level 4 at Key stage 2 had risen from 59% to 77%.
Now another review of mathematics has taken place.
This report is by Sir Peter Williams and the interim report has surprisingly veered away from all the talk of child centred learning and rhetoric which proclaims that ‘every child matters. This report points straight at the teacher.
“It is on the skills and dedication of the teacher that most mathematical learning depends.”
Right from the start it is plain that he does not like the way that in English culture we say we are no good at maths. ...and furthermore, that nobody considers it to be unacceptable. Quite the opposite. He cites the entry requirements for teachers in training. It is merely a ‘C’ grade at GCSE in maths. It is as if we accept that far too many people are not very good at maths.
Sir Peter is critical. No other developed country can get away with such an attitude, and reading between the lines of the report you can see that his mission is to change it in England once and for all.
Any teacher with an aptitude for maths stands to benefit. No wonder redundant bankers were targeted at the beginning of the credit crunch. A start will be made in the teacher training course itself. As things stand each prospective teacher receives between 15 – 30 hours of training in maths. It is hardly enough and is set to rise.
A recent teaching innovation has been the creation of the grade rewarding teachers with Advanced Teaching Skills. It is a move to keep good teachers, who do not want to move into management, inside the classroom. There are 1500 such posts in English Primary Schools, and 200 of them are maths specialists. Again this is not considered enough.
“Building on this invaluable core of expert expertise, it is recommended that every primary school in England should have at least one mathematics specialist with the skills and knowledge to influence mathematical learning throughout the school.”
And here is the hidden consequence.
“This goal will require continual professional development over time for approximately 1500 teachers in the existing school workplace.”
So there you have it. There are distinct career opportunities for any teachers prepared to work at their maths.
Nowhere is there any attempt to stop maths being fun. You only have to look at any of the sets of maths books – like the Heineken Maths scheme, to see how it can remain exciting and challenging, but for maths teachers there is a clear message. Right now teaching needs maths teachers, and as the report also goes on to advocate making teaching a ‘masters level’ career it puts down another marker for the astute teacher, namely to start making plans to get a masters degree!
The ‘Overseas Teachers Network’ has long been a champion of taking a master’s degree on line and now the official government line has never been stated more clearly. This is the way the teaching profession in England is going.
It may be a while before the minister returns to say that it is now the case, but for those with an eye for the main chance, getting a masters degree is going to be a very wise move.
