GCSE Maths is Unfair & Stupid
This is how students should strategically approach it
I have tutored maths for the last 8 years.
And in that time,
The stupidity of GCSE Maths has become exceptionally clear to me.
This stupidity,
Not only makes the exams archaic,
Which all GCSEs are.
But GCSE Maths makes so many students feel stupid,
Which is where I draw the line.
In this newsletter I am going to explain what I mean by stupid and unfair,
I am then going to explain how I would approach GCSE Maths to get the best outcome for your teenager.
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Why is GCSE Maths so especially stupid?
The problem with GCSE Maths,
Is more than any other subject,
Learning a new concept or skills,
Requires you to build off your previous mathematical knowledge.
How are you going to deal with algebraic fractions if you cant consistently deal with normal fractions?
How are you going to deal with trigonometry if you cant consistently deal with 2D areas and perimeters?
In English you could miss some school,
Or not be focusing,
Or simply not ‘get’ Macbeth,
But then you have pretty much a fresh start when it comes to studying An Inspector Calls.
Maths is not so kind.
But why is this a problem?
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The problem is that there are too many people in a class,
And the teachers are largely forced to teach in a neuro-typical and generic manner.
Even the absolute best teachers at the best private schools still have to keep up the pace to keep up with the curriculum.
This means that anyone who is not the absolute average, typical, perfect student for the teaching style of the teacher,
Is not going to be learning optimally.
And the students who may be neuro-diverse,
Have slower processing speeds,
Just hate maths,
Act out behaviourally,
Or miss some school for any of a number of reasons,
Are going to be lost and feel stupid,
With these feelings only getting worse with each passing maths lesson.
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I’ll be honest,
As someone who has tutored maths for a long time,
And someone who is very involved in the education sector,
This pisses me off.
So many students think they are terrible at maths, generally stupid, lazy, or just a lost cause,
When the reality is the system is broken beyond belief.
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So what should you do about it if you find yourself in this position?
Here’s my recommendation.
GCSE Maths can be broken down into four areas:
Numbers – Fractions/Decimals/Percentages/Mean/Mode/Square roots etc
Graphs
Shapes
Algebra
That’s it.
In order to achieve your potential in GCSE Maths you have to have solid fundamentals in these four areas.
And the problem is that the content that students learn in Year 6 – 9,
Is seldomly,
If ever,
Gone over.
So that’s where all of of our focus needs to go.
Whether it is with a tutor, through revision or some other means,
We are going to need to suck up some pride and spend considerable time ensuring that we can do the foundational concepts in each area.
(I might write a newsletter soon on what are the foundational concepts if people are interested).
I can stress to you enough how many people are scared of GCSE Maths,
Or even the large number of people who are doing okay in GCSE Maths but know they could be doing better,
And all of these people are not doing better for two reasons:
Poor fundamental skills
Quick tip: The Numbers section is often surprisingly where the most mistakes are made.
And poor application skills.
And you cant get better at application until you have the fundamentals.
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I hope you all have a great week ahead,
Best wishes,
Joel