Truss sends the Chinese Army to teach us maths!!!

[Simona]

Oh dear oh dear...I can see the flags flying at the DfE as Truss has had another splendid idea!!

The Chinese are coming to our teachers rescue to give them a lesson in maths

Chinese teachers sent into English schools to boost results - Telegraph

I wonder if she would be willing to get a team of Swedish or Danish EY ministers to teach her how to fund 'free childcare' properly?

[loocyloo]

But I thought China was heading into economic decline?

We don't need their math teachers. They need them ;-)

[Mouse]

I don't know if that's the answer, but i don't think it's a bad thing to want to improve the quality of maths teaching. I can remember going into my children's junior school to show the teacher how to do some of their maths work. And she was their maths specialist!

[MAWI]

I don't know if that's the answer, but i don't think it's a bad thing to want to improve the quality of maths teaching. I can remember going into my children's junior school to show the teacher how to do some of their maths work. And she was their maths specialist!

I do think Maths is a problem is some primary schools. I went into class once and saw how they were being taught Maths as my DD was just not getting it. Talk about long winded!! I got her a Maths Tutor who showed her many of the old fashioned ways as I would call them and she can now cope with both methods and is doing well at Maths.

But I don't think it's the teachers, it's the curriculum and how it has to be delivered. My DDs teacher was lets just say 'experienced' and due for retirement and even he said that it was 'over simplified' in some areas of Maths. That was a few years ago now though.

[Simona]

I don't know if that's the answer, but i don't think it's a bad thing to want to improve the quality of maths teaching. I can remember going into my children's junior school to show the teacher how to do some of their maths work. And she was their maths specialist!

Mouse I agree....if the system needs to improve then yes let's try...but I would start by engaging with English teachers and work together not insult them by sending a chinese one
Truss ignores the workforce in anything she does and bypasses the precious things called engagement, respect and value of the profession

I too often ask myself why our children leave school without adequate English and maths but I wonder if this is the solution?

[AliceK]

I do think Maths is a problem is some primary schools. I went into class once and saw how they were being taught Maths as my DD was just not getting it. Talk about long winded!! I got her a Maths Tutor who showed her many of the old fashioned ways as I would call them and she can now cope with both methods and is doing well at Maths.

But I don't think it's the teachers, it's the curriculum and how it has to be delivered. My DDs teacher was lets just say 'experienced' and due for retirement and even he said that it was 'over simplified' in some areas of Maths. That was a few years ago now though.

I have taught both my own children how to do maths using the "old fashioned" ways that I was taught, yes I'm quite old lol, (we weren't allowed to use any calcuators). Both mine are now in the top maths groups at school and doing maths for the year ahead. My DD who is only 6 has been able to do maths sums in her head for a long time and I spoke to her teacher last year as the way they were teaching her was far below what she could do, she doesn't need a number line to add up. I teach them basic old fashioned ways and they are both excelling.

xxxx

[Mouse]

I don't think there's much doubt that standards need to improve, but here's a novel idea - why doesn't Truss ASK the teachers, pupils and parents what they think would help?

Oh no, that wouldn't be any good, would it? She'd miss out on another foreign holiday and would actually have to listen to the very people at the centre of her plans

[SYLVIA]

Perhaps this is her way of justifying a trip to China. She seems to achieve nothing here!

[AdeleMarie88]

It's just something else to make her look busy x

[lisbet]

I wonder if she would be willing to get a team of Swedish or Danish EY ministers to teach her how to fund 'free childcare' properly?

My children's infant/ junior schools have some really good strategies for teaching maths - my children are learning well and really enjoying maths! (Very different from my own experience )

I think the fact that they put a lot of emphasis on giving the children the tools they need to be understand their own learning process, and therefore how to develop it, helps a lot.

They basically use Characteristics of Effective Learning for older children! I doubt that Truss would understand the relationship between how children learn and what they learn, though.