Project Maths liked less than old teaching method

The first students to learn a new maths course did better than others on international tests — but do not like the subject as much as those taught the older way.

The findings of research on 15-year-olds’ performance in the 2012 OECD maths tests are largely positive for the rollout of Project Maths. Its new approach puts more emphasis on student understanding of maths concepts and applying that knowledge to solving real-life problems.

The Educational Research Centre at St Patrick’s College in Dublin compared scores in the Programme for International Student Assessment for students at the 23 schools where Project Maths has been taught since 2008 to those at 159 other Irish schools where OECD tests in maths, science, and reading were also conducted two years ago.