2018 NAPLAN Numeracy results are alarming! What’s going on?!

Whether you’re an advocate for the NAPLAN or not, the statistics are clear- South Australia’s is experiencing a state wide Numeracy skills crisis!

In August 2018, our states overall performance in the NAPLAN was summariszed by John Gardiner MP as remaining in the ‘lowest or second lowest of all states in 17 out of 20 domains’.

Taking a deeper look…

For some time now, there has been a gradual decline in the number of students selecting senior school Math’s subjects and Math’s related courses at university. How has this happened?

Here are some of the issues:

1. Approximately 40% of Math’s classes from year 7-10 are taught by teachers who are not trained to teach Mathematics.
2. Many primary school teachers develop negative mindsets about their ability in Mathematics, which can act as a strong barrier to student learning.
3. What do we need to change?

• South Australians need a perception change about Maths.
• From the moment we wake up we are busy planning and finding solutions to problems that might arise throughout the day. Our ability to reason, analyse and compute numerical problems are skills we learn and develop in our study of Maths.
• We need to develop resilience in our younger to students so that when they are confronted with the challenges of life, they are well equipped to tackle them head on.

In the words of the famous Mathematician, Carl Friedrich Guass,

‘The pure mathematician, like a musician, is a free creator of his world of ordered beauty’.