Fresh Thinking for Mathematics at 10 Downing Street
ThinkTank Maths Ltd. was invited to 10 Downing Street to discuss with a special cabinet advisory committee the company’s insights into mathematics and what could be done to enhance the mathematical capability of the UK.
Indeed, as ThinkTank Maths has already highlighted in an extensive study requested by the Department for Education (Collaborative Mathematical Innovation Challenges for the Department for Education – Big Maths Challenges), we support, in short, the idea that…
- the vital importance of mathematics in tomorrow’s world does not call for yet more mathematical knowledge in high school or university programmes, with heads crammed with even more information, or a greater quantity of established techniques superficially assimilated, nor does it call for yet more narrow mathematical specialisations. On the contrary, it calls for mathematics to be presented and taught differently, where understanding is more important than memorisation.
- the educational environment should be capable of making the initial learning of mathematics less daunting, showing mathematics and science as a natural, enjoyable and enriching experience; not as an austere, difficult domain at which you are either gifted or not.
- mathematics is not just a collection of techniques or tools to be memorised, but rather a language or even several languages.