S.C. maths paper ‘out of date’

Press, 1 December 1987, Page 38

S.C. maths paper ‘out of date’

PA 'Wellington This year’s School Certificate mathematics examination paper was out of date and did not relate to children’s lives, said the Wellington Teachers’ College head of maths, Mr Barry Doyle. “You look at it and you think to yourself ‘yuk’,” he said. Unlike the English, economics and history papers which were full of photographs, interesting diagrams and cartoons, the mathematics paper had the same format it had had for years. -Mr Doyle said some of the questions were like trick questions out of a Trivial Pursuits game and one diagram was so misleading every pupil should be awarded the maximum six marks the diagram question was worth. The diagram of a swimming pool was related to a question in which pupils

had to work out how much’ water was in ‘ the pool. But the diagram made it look as though the pool side was on an angle and water would spill out of it. While it was not a mistake it was very misleading. "I have not met too many people who worked it out. It is very difficult to make sense of the question.” Mr Doyle had shown the diagram to Teachers' College trainees, some of whom had University Entrance mathematics passes, and they had trouble interpreting it Another question, which asked pupils how to calculate the cost of a holiday, tested comprehension rather than mathematical knowledge, he said. “The whole paper is highly teacherish, very pedantic and highly conservative.”

It would have been easy for diagrams to be accompanied with photographs and for' the paper to be more relevant to the 60,000 children who were sitting it, he said. . There was no recognition that New Zealand mathematics students were multi-cultural or of the efforts made to encourage girls into mathematics subjects. “It is as if mathematics is the prerogative of Europeans — it is not,” Mr Doyle said, h, J So much emphasis'was being placed on the importance of mathematics, especially for, children’s futures, yet papers like this one were still being produced. 4 i. “It is so out of date in style that it is anachronism and doesn’t relate to the 60,000 lives it affects. “I hope that we never again see a paper like that,” Mr Doyle said.