I was really excited when I read this research as its exactly what I'm trying to achieve with the resources on this website.  Starting with the Mathematics curriculum I have identified topics that will be of interest to young people and one day I'd like to extend it beyond the Maths classroom and into the whole school area.

Integrated learning is a sure fire way of making the links between seemingly abstract skills and ensures that higher level thinking skills are developed and clearly demonstrates how no school subject is discrete from the others, giving increasing relevance to them all.  I say this from a Maths teachers' perspective where you are always being asked why you have to learn algebra, times tables or Pythagoras?  Showing how these skills are useful in other subject areas has got to be positive for everyone and can even improve employment choices.

I'd be interested to know what schools are already doing  in terms of integrated learning or what they would like to do given a bit more time.  Planning with teachers from other subject areas is even more time consuming than collaboratively planning within your own department as there is all the background stuff that needs to be covered first.  It can feel like you've spent 6 hours planning a 30 minute lesson so you've really got to believe that the benefits to the pupils outweigh the disadvantages before you even begin.  Like most things, it will get easier with time, but for teachers who are already pushed for time and under immense pressure to reach targets it might be that the idea of integrated learning is just something for another time.  If you've got an idea you'd like me to develop let me know and I'll happily do the research for you and come up with a series of lessons to meet your needs and in return for you trialling it in your own school there would be no charge.

As this article from the BBC website shows Maths is vitally important even when we don't realise it.  Probably as much as anything as being able to do maths demonstrates an ability to problem solve and an understanding of the key issues, as I discussed in my previous blog post.

But now research has shown that if you're behind in mathematics by the time you're 11 you will earn up to 7% less in your working career.  Worse than that if you don't pass GCSE Mathematics at 16 you will be expected to continue with it until 18  and probably beyond that too if you haven't passed then.  

At last the importance of the exam is finally being recognised but insisting that you continue with a subject until you pass is not going to improve things.  Surely its a whole lot better to pass the first time and then either build on those skills with higher level courses or accept that you have enough basic skills to access the workplace confidently and choose new routes to follow.

Using the units from the Mathstastic website will foster an interest in a wide range of topics and help pupils to realise the relevance of the subject matter which is all too often lacking when teachers are pressed for time 

Ben Goldacre's report into using evidence based research in education is as valid for teachers as it is for those learning about statistics which students often struggle with, particularly when it comes to analysis and drawing conclusions.

Unlike other parts of the Maths Curriculum which clearly have right and wrong answers, statistics can be manipulated to demonstrate whatever spin the author wants and therefore it is deciding which statistical tool to use and the interpretation of the results is where the real skill in statistics comes from and for those with the true scientific mind this can be the most difficult. 

And this is what Ben Goldacre discusses in his report.  There are always reports coming back on how a research project in the classroom has had significant results but whether the findings can be used with others is always dubious as often the research is flawed in terms of research tools even if it looks to be a good idea.

Its interesting to consider that, if we as teachers, struggle with the concept of ensuring a research project is fair and unbiased then no wonder students find this tricky too.  Statistics and the manipulation of numbers is definitely higher level thinking even if the tools used to manipulate the figures are relatively straightforward themselves.

There are a number of statistical units of work available for different year groups through this website.  Use the links below to introduce the higher order thinking skills to pupils in an interesting an applied way.

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