The Column - November 2007 - (Page 16)

Zosimus The Column www.thecolumn.eu.com November 2007 Is Basic Maths Being Dumbed Down? Zosimus thinks it’s time to stop the decline in standards for basic arithmetic. I always look forward to welcoming new undergraduates and postgraduates into the university every September and October. Both groups arrive with very different expectations. The undergraduates are keen to move away from the structured syllabus programme of their sixth form studies to a more open education on their chosen subject. Also for many they have the added excitement of leaving home and starting a new life away from the restraints of parents. While postgraduates, who start their studies with a good knowledge of university life, are looking forward to their research work. However, over the years I am noticing a decline in the mathematical skills of undergraduates and postgraduates — and they continue to fall. The main area of this decline is in calculus and in plain and simple mental arithmetic. In a recent practical class I asked some students to make up a given mobile phase solution containing 40% methanol the remainder being water. I was astonished the student calculated the amount of water by using a calculator. On asking why a calculator was being used for a simple calculation I was told by the student that they wanted to make sure they got the sum correct. I find that I now have to be very careful when I start talking about rate theory or anything that may involve a differential equation, because I can easily get glazed looks from over 50% of the students in my class. In fact this year I have had some struggle with the Van Deemter equation. And the glazed Author: Zosimus E-mail: zosimus@thecolumn.eu.com looks I’m talking about always seem to come from the faces of UK students; students from other European countries seem to have a mathematical skill way in excess of UK students. I was discussing this with some colleagues in the department of mathematics and was amazed to hear from them that what we teach our first or second year undergraduate students, is actually covered at the equivalent “A-level” in Russian schools. We all know it’s a joke when we are told A-levels have not been degraded. And the students aren’t to blame either as we still have some brilliant students. I blame the syllabus and it is my belief this has been dumbed down over the years to show government educational programmes in a good light. This needs to STOP. But how can this be done. Well, to me the answer is easy. All head of schools should insist all students reach a certain standard in maths before they are allowed to leave school. The level I’m talking about is not even high, perhaps just the level of the old 11 examination and being able to calculate 11 12 without using a calculator. Yes even at degree level the mental arithmetic skills can be that bad! And after searching the Internet I am sad to say I am not alone in my views. Last year the UK Government found that the changes in a series of curriculum reforms designed to make the subject “more accessible” had left some teachers “shocked and appalled” at the “unacceptable dumbing down” of the course. Reading the numbers given by the UK Government for A-level results in 2006, they revealed that 43.5% of candidates got an A grade — up almost 3% on the previous year. The subject, traditionally seen as the preserve of the brightest students, also witnessed an increase in the number sitting the exam — up almost 6% for maths and 23% for further maths. But what they didn’t say was that there were still fewer candidates than in 2000. Perhaps the UK Government scientist needs to take a course on how to present numbers? 16 http://www.thecolumn.eu.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Column - November 2007

The Column - November 2007
Contents
News
Food for Thought Q&A
Zosimus
Market Trends and Analysis
Meeting Review: 12th Desty Memorial Lecture
Separation and Purification of Chiral Compounds by Two-Dimensional Supercritical Fluid Chromatography
Highly Selective Trace Level Extraction using Molecularly Imprinted Polymer Solid-Phase Extraction

The Column - November 2007