Help! I'm In Maths

Not a phrase you are liekly to hear at the moment, apparently. An "extensive" survey of 1000 students between the ages of 10 and 16 was carried out that stated the following:

1. Most students would rather struggle alone than ask for help for fear of looking foolish.
2. The older a student, the less likely they are to answer a question aloud.
3. Girls are far less likely to contribute in maths lessons.
4. Those who are good at maths don't like showing that they are good for fear of being persecuted as a result.

Is any of this surprising? Not really because maths is considered a "geek" subject, and what do people do to geeks? Take the mickey out of them, or a fair proportion of the population do anyway.

Maths is not something British people readily admit to liking or having talent in. Many parents, if not most will open a parents evening appointment with the line "I was terrible at maths when I was young", or words to that effect. What they are doing is excusing their child's lack of work or effort due to them "not getting it" and the parents not helping.

Various "experts" , Carol Vorderman being one, are stating that the teaching of maths needs to change. As a maths teacher I could throw a cat among the pigeons by saying "I don't get it" and asking Carol to stand in front of a group of Year 11s and deliver this new, engaging curriculum. I can guarantee that she would turn a shade of green and run as far as she can.

I agree that much of the maths syllabus seems irrelevent, but in some jobs quadratic equations are essential, along with other areas of maths that appear of no use. I thought that the idea of education was to keep as many professional doors open for children. It's an accusation that could be levelled at any subject - I don't ever remember having to describe what happens to sodium when I put it in water, apart from now of course. No-one questions science though.

The main problem that maths teachers face is a national attitude towards the subject that it is generally useless in real life and therefore why try?

The curriculum may need to change, but the focus should be on attitude, of both children and parents.