Either Choose three small integers, positive or negative.

1. Either Choose three small integers, positive or negative. Place these integers in the boxes in the expression below in all possible orders and multiply the brackets in each case: (x + ) ( x + ) = Now add up all your answers and factorise the result if you can. Or Let f(x) = sqrt(a cubic in x). Sketch y = |f(x)|

2. A year with ACME

3. A bit about ACME An independent committee, established in January 2002 • To enable an effective and constructive partnership between Government and the mathematics community • To inform and advise the DfE and BIS in order to assist in its drive to raise standards and promote mathematics at all levels within education • To provide advice to government agencies and other key stakeholders

4. The Chair A “user of mathematics” • Professor Steve Sparks FRS • Volcanologist and risks • Joined ACME in January ★

5. The Committee ★

6. The Outer Circle ★

7. One year ago this month The Bew Review ACME Response to the Education Select Committtee Inquiry into 16-19 participation in education and training ★

8. Meanwhile - Mathematical Needs Reports

9. Mathematical Needs Reports A and B • Published June 2011 • Presented at workshops and seminars at various conferences • Looking outside the mathematics community

10. MNB: What mathematical proficiency entails: • procedural recall, accuracy and fluency in familiar routines • to develop procedural, conceptual and utilitarian aspects of mathematics together • the ability to interpret and use representations • a range of mathematical knowledge and experience • strategies for problem-solving and hypothesis-testing, including working with current digital technology • mathematical reasoning • appreciation of the purpose and usefulness of mathematics, and willingness to use it Need to develop all these aspects

11. What learners need in lessons: • to read, talk and interpret mathematical text • to get a sense of achievement • to use feedback from tasks and results • to have good-quality explanations (images, representations, language, analogies, models, illustration) • to have explanations that incorporate past knowledge, including familiar images, notations and mathematical ideas • teachers who understand the need to avoid unhelpful conceptions from particular examples, images and language • to base new learning on earlier understandings • teachers who push the boundaries of conceptual understanding

12. Cognitive needs: • to become aware of, familiar with, and fluent in connections in mathematics • to accumulate mathematical ideas • to have multiple experiences of mathematical ideas • time to develop the mathematical confidence to tackle unfamiliar tasks • to recognize the common ideas of mathematics • to know how to listen to mathematical explanations ★

13. And then things got really busy • National Curriculum Review • Early entry to GCSE • Primary arithmetic • Initial teacher education strategy • ... ★

14. GCSE early and multiple entry – an update • Nick Gibb responded to ACME’s position statement • The Department said they would look at reasons for early entry, and • Whether early entry is undermining progression • DfE has published a statistical study on the impact of early entry – detrimental to overall performance

15. National Curriculum review – a brief update • Responded to the Call for Evidence • Contributed to working groups • Individuals heavily involved through July/August, and again since January • Offered to facilitate pre-consultation discussion with the community • September – November/December a quiet time • Expert panel report – response

16. And after the summer, things got busier • Non-Government reports • Mind the Gap • Maths Task Force Report • BIS gets involved • HE white paper • Select Committees • Attracting, training and retaining the best teachers • How should examinations for 15-19 year olds be run?

17. ACME response to Expert Panel • Welcome split of Key Stage 2 • Do not recommend year-by-year primary curriculum • no evidence • Welcome more specialist teaching in primary • but it’s up to schools to determine deployment, and more support/training is needed • Cautious about Key Stage 3 / 4 split • would need eg linked pair GCSE and mechanisms to counter early entry • Agrees levels should be removed • but, support is needed during transition ★

18. But are we having any impact or influence? Early entry • Yes, but Government needs to take further steps National Curriculum • Process and content • Primary Best Practice seminar Key Stage 2 assessment • Disappointing • Mathematical Needs • Definitely

19. MNA: Bridging the maths gap The number of people entering higher education each year who would benefit from recent experience of post-GCSE mathematics 330,000 The number of such people supplied by the school/college system 125,000

20. Mathematical Needs of the Workplace • How has the jobs profile changed in recent years? • What general mathematical skills are needed by those in employment? • What are the particular mathematical needs for particular areas of employment?

21. Jobs: changing profiles

22. Key findings from the workplace • To be effective employees need to have studied mathematics at a higher level than they will actually use in the workplace • Many employees have difficulty in applying the mathematics they know • Employees have difficulty in communicating mathematical ideas • Many people lack basic skills in mathematics (and literacy)

23. What mathematics does the workplace say is needed? • Statistics • Mathematical modelling • Problem-solving • Use of software packages and coping with problems • Performance indicators and the use of ratios • Risk

24. What can students choose today? – post-GCSE qualifications • A-level Mathematics • A-level Further Mathematics • A-level Use of Mathematics • Free standing mathematics qualifications (FSMQs) • Cambridge Pre-U • The International Baccalaureate Diploma • … a variety of mathematics is implicit in many vocational courses, but content is often ill-defined and not rigorously assessed.

25. Mathematical Needs of Higher Education • What are the course entry requirements in mathematics? • What mathematics does a course need if it is to achieve international standard? • What mathematics (including statistics) do students need if they are to be successful in their university course? ★

26. Push and pull • ACME recommends: • Universities should make clear the level and extent of mathematics encountered within each of their degree programmes. ★

27. Increasing participation Who are these students? < GCSE Grade C A-level • Not to scale! ★

28. Increasing participation • Probably have Grade C or B at GCSE (and maybe grade A) • Probably not studying A-levels in physics (or chemistry) • They may (or may not) be studying A-levels and planning to go to HE. • What do they need? ★

29. Increasing participation • ACME is preparing an options paper for the summer • Who is it for? • What size and shape? • What would it contain? • Who would teach it?

30. Moving forwards • Making it happen • Mathematical Needs A + Post-16 pathways • Pre-16 qualifications/pathways • The profession • Joining up initial teacher education and CPD: what, when and how? • Mathematical Needs B

31. Keeping up-to-date ACME Conference • 10 July 2012 ACME Membership • Advert out ACME Outer Circle • End of the summer News and Events • Website • Newsletter