Maths Teaching in a Social Media Context

Social media can leave kids with the impression of easy achievement and a sense that being an influencer, cryptotrader or something “selling courses” will be a future career.

Maybe, but numeracy will always be useful, even if it is just being used to count those big influencer bucks.

“I think the importance of education, especially with adolescents, is declining. Their motivation is affected, and I think social media has a role to play in that. There is this effect on year 11s and year 12s at the moment which has been going on since COVID,” says maths teacher and founder of Learning Space tutoring Jason Ursino.

“A lot of these kids have this mindset of, you know, you don't necessarily need to have a high mark in the HSC or you don't necessarily need to study, you just need to be clever about how to make this extra bit of money and then you can live your life being an entrepreneur and money will just fall in your lap.”

At the same time, students are no longer enamoured of the old school way of performing, where they were expected to follow the formula of studying hard and acing exams to get into university.

Kids need to keep up with their homework and revise in areas where they are weak to get a really good grip of the basics. The core skills that they learn are problem solving, figuring out where they could use some extra help, and developing a routine of daily practice.

“This is just working harder, not smarter,” Ursino says.

Where they were once upon a time expected to rote memorise formulas, students are now given a reference sheet going into scenario-based exams.

“It’s not really about remembering a formula and applying a formula anymore. But issues arise when students who understand questions in the classroom clam up and start making mistakes during exams.”

Something needs to change in STEM teaching, especially maths, to make it more attractive and perhaps less intimidating.

Perhaps we collectively need to change the way we talk about and think about maths as a subject. Parents need to stop speaking about it negatively and they should be mindful of making comments like “I’m not good at maths” or “maths isn’t my strength”.

Instead, a growth mindset should be encouraged where of course they should acknowledge that maths can be challenging, but it is something that students can handle by taking a problem-solving approach. Things like breaking it down into smaller, bite-size problems, trying a different method of solving the problem, or asking for help are a few things they could try.

“Some students even use social media - they watch YouTube videos or find other resources on the internet. It’s important to keep in mind there is no one way of doing things and it’s possible to try a few different tactics until you find something that works for you. But students should never short change themselves by saying maths is not for them,” he says.

Success in mathematics has less to do with natural ability and more with work ethic, persistence, and patience. Anyone can learn but they need to give themselves a chance to develop their skills.

“It’s a subject that is fun, interesting, and has so many practical applications in life. Sharing my passion and finding other teachers who are passionate is key to passing on a love of maths to students who maybe weren’t so motivated to learn it in the first place.”

Year 8 is the pivotal year for maths students, it’s when the subject gets a bit tougher, a bit more abstract and so it's often when students begin to disengage.

The skills learned in Year 8 are essential though and foundational if the student is to progress to more demanding mathematics.

“A good foundation in maths is pivotal to being able to confidently navigate more complex topics later on. I find that students who are already falling behind or are not confident in Year 8 will often find it challenging in higher grade classes.

“On the flip side the results a student achieves in Year 8 will set them on track to the maths course they will do for their HSC. If possible, students should aspire to get to the level of the 5.3 (or Advance Pathway) maths cohort as from there it is always possible to downgrade but not upgrade. They can go on to do advanced and extension maths; this in turn opens up options for the uni courses they can do as many of them won’t admit students without a minimum standard of advanced maths.”

Encouraging more people into STEM teaching means enlisting those who have a passion for the endless application of maths and a love of sharing their knowledge to explore a career in teaching.

“The government already has many great programs to streamline pathways into teaching for existing professionals but I don’t think enough people know about them. There is currently a teacher shortage at the moment particularly in STEM subjects so more needs to be done to increase visibility of these pathways and perhaps there should be more incentives to becoming a teacher as well,” Ursino says.

Image by Ron Lach