In November 2016, Radio New Zealand reported that New Zealand’s 10-year-olds are the worst at maths in the English-speaking world.
Looking at the TIMSS2015 results,
- only 25% of this group could add 385 to 5876 (2nd last, international average 66%)
- only 20% of this group could divide 45 by 3 (11th last, international average 47%)
- only 17% of this group could subtract 532 from 4809 (2nd last, international average 57%)
- only 16% of this group could choose the correct answer to 27 x 43 (last, international average 51%)
That last question was multiple choice. New Zealand’s result is worse than what we would expect from random guessing (25%). The previous cycle of TIMSS suggests a constructed response success rate would have been lower. In TIMSS2011, a similar cohort of students finished last-equal among peers in participating developed countries:
- almost half of this group could not add 218 and 191 in a basic word problem (8th last, international average 73%)
- only 32% of this group could calculate 5631 + 286 (2nd last, international average 72%)
- only 8% of this group could calculate 23 x 19 (6th last, international average 41%)
These results are unacceptable. We have far too many children who cannot perform basic numeracy tasks and the gap is widening. C’mon Kiwis, can’t we do better than this?! Yes we can!
Motivating article from 2013
Statements of support from New Zealand mathematicians
Useful links for teachers
- Maths I Can Do song
- Bill Quirk, The Bogus Research in Kamii and Dominick’s Harmful Effects of Algorithms Papers
- 11 Scientific Tips That Will Help You Learn Anything Faster – And Actually Remember It
- Discovery Learning is Not Generally Effective
- John Hattie on ability grouping
- Barak Rosenshine, Principles of Instruction – Research-based Strategies That All Teachers Should Know
- Douglas Carnine, Why Education Experts Resist Effective Practices (And What It Take to Make Education More Like Medicine
- The Australian Society for Evidence Based Teaching
- John Hattie on inquiry-based learning
- Daisy Christodoulou, Seven Myths About Education
- Menon et al, Kids’ brains reorganize when learning math skills
- Daniel Ansari et al, Fluency with single digit arithmetic predicts advanced high school math skills
- Robert Siegler et al, Knowledge of Fractions and Division Predicts Long-Term Math Success
- Daniel Ansari on the science in teaching math
- Dan Willingham, On fidget spinners & speeded math practice
Campaign material
- Article in The Press
- A bit of progress
- Review of March 2013
- A brighter future for mathematics education in New Zealand
- Maths tutor offers solution to Novopay’s problems
- Is professional development our only solution?
- England brings back column addition!
A teacher making a difference- Manitoba, Canada brings back column addition!
- Fantastic progress in a classroom
- Automaticity and why it’s important to learn your ‘times tables’
- Progress in Parts
- Alberta, Canada brings back column addition!
- Interview with TVNZ’s ONE News, January 2015
- Anna Stokke’s report “What to do about Canada’s declining math scores”
- Rose Patterson’s report “Un(ac)countable: Why millions on maths returned little”
- Live interview on TVNZ’s Breakfast, June 2015
- A little bit more progress
- Live interview on RNZ’s The Panel, February 2018
- …and more on our blog
- …and even more on our Facebook page
