[keithpeter]

http://gowers.wordpress.com/2012/11/20/what-maths-a-level-do...

Above a Field's medal winning mathematician having a conversation with a 17 year old A level student.

Actually, my perception is that the grade gaming started fairly recently in the UK, around 10 to 15 years ago. The rhetoric of 'raising standards' came to mean 'more passing and higher grades'.

As regards the parent post's last sentence ('Not one is telling them that the game is about to end.') some of my brighter Further Education students (vocational training) seem to have guessed. They are not going to University directly or at all but via placements in company training programmes or services training.

[analog31]

This is really sad because I clearly remember all the way back to high school calculus class and again in college that we spent a lot of time with the definition of the derivative, deriving the rules before applying them, and having that whole business be on the test along with the regular plug-and-chug problems. It was at a liberal arts college. Roughly half of the math majors were headed into high school teaching, the other half were double majors with some other STEM discipline.

[keithpeter]

Well good for you and your teachers.

I'll bet you were not taking nationally defined exams which do not stress derivation from first principles however...

[analog31]

That's definitely the case. It was the early 80's. Calculus in high school was still not widespread. We took it at 7 in the morning, before the regular school day, from the physics teacher who was delighted to finally teach calculus for the first time ever. He basically followed a mainstream college curriculum in class.

But the subsequent college course followed the same pattern, and I don't think it was atypical for the time. It took a couple tries to drive it into my skull, but I did end up majoring in math.

Turning math into a series of multiple choice questions that are answered by cranking through memorized algorithms... don't get me started.

[keithpeter]

UK does not use MCQ, but the emphasis on age 16 and age 18 exams in Maths is definitely cranking out the working. Some problem solving, but not so much proof.

Your experience is a really good illustration of the first phase of what I think is a common 'pattern' or 'process' in education reform.

Phase 1: An exceptional teacher decides to do something and a group of highly motivated students (also self-selected students) responds well. Results are good.

Phase 2: This activity is highlighted as 'good practice' and showcased in conferences by head teacher/managers

Phase 3: Managers in other institutions say 'we must do this' and impose the outer form of the activity on staff who are not perhaps thinking of that and students who are not self-selecting.

Phase 4: Results not so good in copying institutions. Staff blamed. Much mumbling.

Knowledge is situated and good teachers will modify things to suit their students in their particular institution.

[atmosx]

I've read the blogpost. I feel sorry for the kid, to tell you truth... But I guess that's what you get when asking a 'Field's medal winner' to explain something you don't understand.

I recall reading about Feynmann, he was very eager to help students as long as they were prepared. If they presented a question to him, partially or totally unprepared he was extremely pissed. But then again, he is a Nobel prize why should he waste his time with someone who didn't do his homework?!

[keithpeter]

Yes, I can see what you mean. Your Dad says "My mate will help you out" and he turns out to be a major mathematician.

Gowers' point is to do with 'teaching to the test' which is happening far too much at the moment in the UK if you ask me (but no-one is asking us).