‘Changes to maths teaching methods a risk’

CHANGES to how maths is taught could risk dumbing down the subject and reducing the high international reputation of the Leaving Certificate, a senior maths lecturer has warned.

Michael Brennan, lecturer at Waterford Institute of Technology’s department of computing, maths and physics, said recent international studies have shown the dangers of adapting maths education to make it more applicable to real-world situations.

His comments follow on further controversy a fortnight ago over the high failure rates in Leaving Certificate maths, particularly at ordinary level, and the low numbers taking the higher-level exam.