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AdvisoryCommittee onMathematicsEducation
www.acme-uk.org
Advisory Committee on Mathematics Education (ACME)Professor Alice Rogers
AdvisoryCommittee onMathematicsEducation
www.acme-uk.org
• Established in January 2002 by the Royal Society and the Joint Mathematical Council
• Supported by the Gatsby Foundation and the DCSF• ACME is an independent committee hosted at the RS• Chair as a ‘user of mathematics’• Past chairs: Sir Peter Williams, Professor Adrian Smith• Current chair: Professor Dame Julia Higgins
About ACME
AdvisoryCommittee onMathematicsEducation
www.acme-uk.org
The Aim of ACME
• to enable an effective and constructive partnership between Government and the mathematics community
• to inform and advise the DCSF and BIS in order to assist in its drive to raise standards and promote mathematics at all levels within education
• Also provides advice to government agencies and other key stakeholders (e.g. QCDA, Ofqual, TDA etc)
AdvisoryCommittee onMathematicsEducation
www.acme-uk.org
Membership
• Seven members of the committee:Jack Abramsky, Fiona Allan, Wendy Hoskin, Lynne McClure, Roger Porkess, Alice Rogers, Anne Watson
• Augmented by an ‘Outer Circle’, including further HE input
• Secretariat based at the Royal Society
AdvisoryCommittee onMathematicsEducation
www.acme-uk.org
The Big Issues in Mathematics Education
GCSE:• Twinned pair pilot September 2010:
Applications of Mathematics and Methods in Mathematics
• Early entry
• Two-tier
AdvisoryCommittee onMathematicsEducation
www.acme-uk.org
The Big Issues in Mathematics Education
Masters in Teaching and Learning (MTL)
• Lack of focus on improving subject knowledge
• Aimed at early-career teachers
AdvisoryCommittee onMathematicsEducation
www.acme-uk.org
Post-16 in 2016
Proactive work looking at pathways in maths. Review of 14-19 qualifications due in six years’ time.
• Origins in the Smith report – appropriate pathways for each learner
• Everyone should be expected to study appropriate mathematics post-16 – but A-level maths shouldn’t attempt to accommodate everyone
AdvisoryCommittee onMathematicsEducation
www.acme-uk.org
Post-16 in 2016 – discussion paper
• Baccalaureate-style model proposed – 6 subjects• Initial discussion paper suggested 3 mathematics pathways at Level 3
– consultation indicated a need for a pathway at Level 2 other than just repeating GCSE
• Need for opportunities to transfer between the pathways and flexibility within the system
• Concern about teacher supply and retention• Making the mathematics applicable and relevant to different subjects
will have a real implications in term of mathematics teachers’ knowledge – CPD will be crucial here
AdvisoryCommittee onMathematicsEducation
www.acme-uk.org
Post-16 now and in the near future
Use of Mathematics A-level: a key pathway
• Allows the target audience for Mathematics A-level to continue to include those who will wish to study mathematically rich STEM subjects in HE
• Broaden participation in mathematics, but taking the pressure off A-level Mathematics to accommodate – more than one tool is needed
AdvisoryCommittee onMathematicsEducation
www.acme-uk.org
Post-16 in 2016
Use of Mathematics A-level
• Possible risks? Students ill-advised?
• But how many reach HE social sciences, geography etc. and regret having studied no mathematics at all for two years?
AdvisoryCommittee onMathematicsEducation
www.acme-uk.org
A-level Mathematics
QCDA consultation summer 2009
• Strong agreement in some areas, lack of consensus elsewhere – student choice of modules versus uniformity of intake
• Proposals still being developed
AdvisoryCommittee onMathematicsEducation
www.acme-uk.org
Advanced Extension Award (AEA)
• AEA to be discontinued in 2013 – Mathematics is the only remaining AEA
• Introduction of A* grade for >90% on A2 papers with ‘stretch and challenge’ material
• ACME is pressing for retaining the AEA and developing it further – A* rewards greater accuracy not depth. CMS support
AdvisoryCommittee onMathematicsEducation
www.acme-uk.org
Mathematical Needs Project
• Two themes:
- Theme A: the Mathematical Needs of HE, business (‘Top down’)
- Theme B: the Mathematical Needs of the learners (‘Bottom up’)
AdvisoryCommittee onMathematicsEducation
www.acme-uk.org
Mathematical Needs Project
Theme A (Needs of HE, business)
• Research commissioned looking at: - Mathematical content of HE courses- Published entry requirements – likely recommendation
that depts should be honest about what is desirable
• Work informs pathways development
AdvisoryCommittee onMathematicsEducation
www.acme-uk.org
Input from HE
Input from HoDoMS is strongly encouraged
• Input from HE and others in curriculum development referred to by the DCSF/BIS Science and Learning Expert Group, Michael Gove, Sir Richard Sykes...
• HoDoMS has a valuable role to play
AdvisoryCommittee onMathematicsEducation
www.acme-uk.org
Discussion / Q&A
