Over the last 20 years participation in STEM studies in senior school has steadily dropped in many western countries. In Australia participation rates in Year 12 Advanced Maths was 9% in 2012. In England 85% of all students drop maths at 16 years of age. While in the USA many students don’t even have access to a full senior school maths program.

Claiming single issues from individual countries deliver successful maths education is simply ‘cherry picking’ results. For instance, 25% of Scottish students study maths until at least 18 years of age compared with only 15% in England. In Scotland a flexible curriculum helps promote maths participation. Moreover, the push by politicians to introduce back-to-basics curricula and methods of teaching in the UK, USA and Australia produces rigid, repetitive, pre-packaged, parrot-style learning when ‘effortful, varied practice builds mastery’.

‘Why Do so Many Students Hate Maths?’ Because It Is Scary, Boring, Pointless and Everyone Hates It Anyway

Reasons why individual students drop out of mathematics before senior school cited across the research literature include peer group pressure, irrelevance, boredom, rigid curriculum, low quality text books, lack of innovation, cultural influences, over confidence of students (leading to less effort), low expectations of parents, teachers and the socio-economic group.

Some of the reasons are, however, systemic such as poorly trained teachers, a lack of funding and changes in university entrance requirements. While it is tempting to recommend that maths be made compulsory at senior school level, there is a very strong argument against that move. Research by Professor Geoff Prince highlighted the Catch 22 of promoting maths education in schools. If maths is made compulsory at senior school level more students drop out of school. But if maths is not made compulsory in the senior years good students will drop out of higher level maths to boost their university entrance scores by pursuing a lower (and terminal) level maths. This will reduce the number of students available to study tertiary level maths.

Standardising maths curriculum coupled with the drive to meet national standards can restrict innovation and prevent classroom teachers from using a variety of methods to both motivate and inspire their students. Yet, it is vital to improve student attitudes to maths in middle school to increase numbers of students taking senior level and tertiary level maths. But how do you do that?

Make Middle School Maths Interesting, Fun, Exciting, Inspiring and Accessible to All Students

According to Cindy Moss, Global STEM Initiative, we should ‘Empower our teachers to be able to show kids that STEM is fun’. Middle school maths has to be real and relevant too. When I started my MATHSPIG BLOG (1,000,000+ hits) I had an epiphany. I realised that for all the years I had studied maths I never found an answer to a question that I wanted to know. I found answers I wanted to get right and then I moved on to the next question. The aim of Mathspig has been, therefore, to ask maths questions that prompt middle school students to be curious to know the answer. EG. How old is your hair? How long would it take a 14yo to bleed to death from an arrow wound? How many m&ms will kill a 14yo? And much more. https://mathspig.wordpress.com/