Madam, - "Poor marks in science, maths in Leaving Cert results" was the headline of your lead report on Wednesday. Your Editorial began: "Continuing high failure rates in ordinary level maths and science subjects at ordinary level are the most striking features of the Leaving Certificate results published today."
Although a failure rate of 11.6 per cent in mathematics at ordinary level is a matter of deep concern, the high proportion of grade A results at this level (11.4 per cent) failed to attract your attention and that of other media. It is also worth remarking that about 31,000 students passed ordinary level maths - more than passed any other subject at this level.
There is a "demographic" problem here: too many students take maths at ordinary level (71.3 per cent, higher than for any other subject) rather than at foundation or higher level. Minister for Education Mary Hanafin has rightly drawn attention to the arbitrary decision of some third-level institutions not to accept foundation level maths for entry to courses involving little or no mathematics - and, indeed, to the fact that the CAO does not award points at this level (even for an A grade). However, the problem of low participation at higher level (18.3 per cent, lower than any other subject) - which you mention in your Editorial - is also serious.
There are various reasons for this. At the heart of the matter is poor encouragement of youngsters to take up and enjoy maths at higher level in the junior cycle. Two crucial approaches here involve "introducing mathematics concepts in real-life contexts so that it leads from the concrete to an appropriate level of abstraction"; and "highlighting the many ways in which mathematics is applied in the real world" (to quote the report of the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment on the consultation following the Review of Mathematics in Post-Primary Education, April 2006).
Too much of the teaching in post-primary mathematics relies heavily on addressing the "how" questions rather than the "why" and "what if" questions. Because of this, the ideas of mathematics become obscured by the mechanics.
To address these problems, substantial work is required in support of teachers' professional development, in curriculum reform, in assessment and in writing textbooks compatible with the approaches mentioned. - Your, etc,
MAURICE O'REILLY, President, Irish Mathematical Society, St Patrick's College, Drumcondra, Dublin 9.
Madam, - Surely the reported poor performance in maths and science in this year's Leaving Certificate once again reflects a poorly designed, developed and implemented curriculum which favours training students in the use of calculators rather than developing practical skills in mental arithmetic.
Skills in mathematics and numeracy are primarily mental, and the consistent failure to encourage their development will see standards decrease yet again this time next year, with the same repeated concerns.
If the Minister for Education is really serious about averting this steady deterioration, she must examine the curriculum at all levels, and implement practical techniques to develop the natural computational abilities of all students.
Just twenty hours of simple sums, during transition year, will immediately alleviate the current trend towards failure and raise standards to reflect the high expectations and abilities of our youth. - Yours, etc,
BRIAN McENERY, Wilton, Cork.
Madam, - Dáithí Mac Cárthaigh (August 17th) makes the ridiculous suggestion that Fine Gael might seek to remove maths as a compulsory subject in school because of some poor results in this year's Leaving Certificate.
The difference between maths and Irish is that most people understand the basics of maths when they leave school, even if they don't learn to love equations or the actual subject, whereas after 14 years of being made to learn Irish off by heart, as opposed to learning how to converse in Irish, most people leave school with no ability or inclination to have anything more to do with it .
Why is keeping Irish compulsory so important to Mr Mac Cárthaigh? One can only conclude there is a fear that removing it will reveal how useless his organisation's approach to reviving the language over the past 80 years has been despite massive State support. - Yours, etc,
DESMOND FITZGERALD, Canary Wharf, London.