Maths-Whizz Blog

BBC News online reported yesterday that primary school teachers are:

often scared of basic numeracy and should be required to study English and maths at A-level

…according to a report by the moderate conservative Politeia think-tank.

The report, titled ‘Teachers Matter’ focuses on entry standards for teachers. An author, David Burghes, of the University of Plymouth, said:

One of the issues that bedevils our teaching profession, and particularly my subject of mathematics, is that of the inadequate subject knowledge of teachers.

But Nansi Ellis, head of education policy at the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, countered:

As well as knowing their subject, teachers need to understand the different ways children learn and develop.

Instead of hysterical reports of so-called under-educated teachers we should have a proper debate about the skills and knowledge teachers need to be good at teaching children.

The report goes on to argue that central control and management of teachers is damaging the profession, but the department for Children, Schools and Families strongly criticised the comments.

From this corner, it seems that questions about the qualifications of teachers will never go away. Commenters from both sides of the political divide will argue that life experience and teaching knowledge are more important than academic bona-fides, whilst others will argue that degree- or A-level knowledge is vital to ensure good teaching in that particular subject.

I’m inclined to hedge my bets on this one. I had excellent teachers whose passion was fuelled by their deep understanding of the subjects they taught, and I had dull teachers whose poor teaching seemed a direct result of their academic immersion.

In earlier years, I remember most the teachers who showed vigour and interest, but it was easy to spot teachers who were less confident in particular subjects. I’d like to think that the love of teaching must come first – a motivated and bright teacher can be taught fluency in a subject that isn’t her own, but a knowledgeable teacher isn’t necessarily willing to be motivated. I know that not all teachers want to tackle subjects they didn’t learn beyond GCSE – the teacher training process should identify those people and ensure they are pushed towards areas they are comfortable with.

A teacher who is dull, or even disparaging, about a subject can sometimes do more damage than good. Feel free to comment!