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Through measurement to knowledge

By John Ridd - posted Tuesday, 21 February 2012


Only those students achieving ‘Advanced’ or, at an extreme pinch ‘High’ in maths at Grade 8 will have any real chance of success in Year 11/12 higher levels of maths. 

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Algebra is correctly described as the ‘gateway to further mathematics’.  Weak algebra in lower secondary school leads to trouble later.  TIMSS subdivides the results into categories one of which is algebra in Grade 8.   Algebra outcomes: (TIMSS scale average 500)

Taiwan

617

USA

501

UK

492

Australia

471

All of the top five performing countries were East Asian (>558). The only European countries to reach the 500 mean were Armenia 532, Russia 518, Hungary 503 and Serbia 500. The weak performance of the three English speaking countries is noticeable. US managed to be average, England, despite the better performance overall noted earlier is algebraically weak and Australia’s performance is frankly embarrassing. 

Similar data analyses for science at Years 4 and 8 are:

 

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TIMSS also sub-divides science content into four groups: Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Earth Science. The results below all have a TIMSS scale average of 500 as usual;                      

 

Biology

Chemistry

Physics

Earth Science

Singapore

564

560

575

541

USA

530

510

503

525

UK

541

534

545

529

Australia

518

505

508

519

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About the Author

John Ridd taught and lectured in maths and physics in UK, Nigeria and Queensland. He co-authored a series of maths textbooks and after retirement worked for and was awarded a PhD, the topic being 'participation in rigorous maths and science.'

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