Wow, what an exciting week!
The Amazing School was invited to give a presentation on evidence-based approaches to education to the esteemed British scientists of the Royal Society.
The RS have put together a panel of some of our best academic minds, to think about the future of maths and science education in the UK, with the aim of informing government policy.
http://royalsociety.org/education/policy/vision/
Isn’t that thrilling, that we live in a country in which establishments, such as the RS, inform government policy? Additionally, in order to ensure that the committee thinks outside of their comfort zone, they have been inviting a wide range of people to present to them. How great is that?
The Amazing School was there on the same day as Conrad Wolfram (of WolframAlpha), and we were both talking about the benefits of making maths a more applied subject.
You can watch a version of the talk we gave to the Royal Society here. It’s about 12 minutes long – enjoy!
Amazing School Talk to the Royal Society
We don’t have a copy of Conrad’s presentation to the RS, but we can recommend his TED lecture in which he tells a similar story:
We rather like the fact that Conrad presents a compelling argument for computer based maths education, from a motivational and utility point of view, and that we show that teaching in this way is also psychologically easier. The key point to remember is that we don’t have to choose between a vocational or academic approach, teaching in a vocational way, using practical examples results in students developing better life skills AND developing a better abstract (academic) skills.
Now, all we need is some schools and maths departments that want to explore this space with us. We teach mathematical reasoning and basic programming skills by using Excel (www.indexmatch.co.uk). We think this is a great way to inspire kids as the software is readily available, and it prepares them with skills that employers seek. If you are a school, or maths teach, and would like to see what we have to offer then GET IN TOUCH!