Mr. Ciar?n Duffy:

Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach agus leis na comhaltaí as an gcuireadh a bheith anseo. I thank members for the opportunity to speak with them today. The Irish Mathematics Teachers Association, IMTA, welcomes the chance to put forward the views of our members, who have serious concerns about recent developments in the direction of mathematics pedagogy. We believe that before we can adequately address the future of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, STEM, in Irish education, we need to address the present. We also believe there are several small things that can be done to address these concerns. The IMTA is an extremely open organisation that benefits from rigorous discussion and debate. Our views are backed up by statistics, research and anecdotal evidence. Mathematics teachers in this country care deeply about their subject and know how crucial it is to the continuing development of a strong, vibrant, educated workforce and we are acutely aware of its importance in the realm of STEM subjects. Mathematics teachers, in the main, embrace change well and are open to reflecting on their teaching practice and embracing new approaches, ideas, technologies and resources. Mathematics teachers rowed in behind changes to the mathematics syllabi under the umbrella of project maths, for example. Mathematics teachers embraced the use of digital technologies in their classrooms for pedagogical purposes long before Covid made them necessary. The IMTA believes that STEM education is essential for the future of our country, as I am sure all in this room do, and we are committed to playing our part in ensuring that Irish students have access to the highest quality STEM education possible. Given that mathematics education is our primary area of concern and the basic importance of mathematics in STEM, our submission primarily focuses on mathematics education. Our submission includes a range of recommendations aimed at improving the teaching and learning of mathematics in post-primary education. We have focused on five key areas related to mathematics education, namely, junior cycle mathematics; leaving certificate mathematics; teacher education; female participation in STEM; and mathematics at primary level.

Regarding junior cycle maths, the IMTA expresses concerns over the revised junior cycle specification, which our members believe is too long and cannot be adequately delivered due to decreased class contact time in all schools. The IMTA also notes a demotion in the importance of fully understanding the topic of algebra under the new specification and calls for the reintroduction of a second exam paper, especially at higher level, with adequate choice in all papers. Furthermore, the removal of the foundation level mathematics course and examination at junior cycle is a matter of grave concern for IMTA members. We believe it has adversely affected the education of students who find numeracy and literacy challenging.

On classroom-based assessments, the IMTA suggests only one assessment, potentially in the area of statistics, should be completed in a co-ordinated and timetabled fashion with other subject areas rather than the current nine assessments students must complete in both second and third years.

We are also concerned that the gap between junior cycle and leaving certificate maths at all levels is huge. Students who do not do transition year in their schools are particularly disadvantaged by this. As there is not sufficient time at junior cycle level to drill down into the skills required and to develop the understanding needed of topics, especially in algebra, the jump to leaving certificate is massive and, we believe, is having a detrimental effect on our students and standards in general.

In the case of leaving certificate maths, the IMTA believes that the syllabus is too long to be completed in the allocated time and that some elements of choice must be introduced into exam papers. Additionally, we call for a review of the impact of bonus points for higher level maths.

The IMTA is concerned about the shortage of qualified maths teachers in Ireland and recommends incentivising teachers through financial arrangements. We also suggest ring-fencing places for STEM education courses and providing more support to newly qualified teachers. The IMTA calls for more investment in, and resources for, encouraging female participation in STEM subjects in general, and we recommend launching a large-scale advertisement campaign to attract more women to the profession.

We are calling for the reintroduction of the examination at foundation level maths at junior cycle, to support the thousands of students for whom the level 2 learning programme, L2LP, is not accessible and who find the level of literacy and numeracy too difficult. There must be an element of choice in mathematics exam papers at all levels to help reduce the huge levels of anxiety felt by many of our students.

A second exam paper at junior cycle level should be reintroduced, again with choice on papers. We call for a rigorous, independent, academic review of the current junior cycle before any work is done on reforming the leaving certificate or senior cycle. The benefits of classroom-based assessments, CBAs, while useful in many of our subjects, are questionable in maths and the voice of teachers on this issue must be listened to. In a recent survey, 98% of our members called for, at most, one CBA in maths to be done, while questioning the use of CBAs in general.

We believe the length of the course at junior cycle and leaving certificate is too long and impossible to deliver adequately in the time given to maths. A review of the impact of bonus points at leaving certificate higher level maths must be carried out.

If implemented, we believe our recommendations can help to ensure Ireland remains a world leader in STEM education and our students are equipped with the knowledge, skills, and confidence they need to succeed in the 21st century economy and, more important, to give them a love of learning in what is a beautiful subject with plenty of scope to marry both real world applications and the more abstract element of mathematics.