A week-long celebration of maths and numeracy has been launched in nurseries, schools, universities and workplaces across Scotland as part of the first ever Maths Week.
The week will play a key role in the Scottish Government’s drive to encourage more positive attitudes towards numeracy and maths, with events hosted around the country for all age groups focused on the importance and relevance of the subject to everyday activities.
It also marks the launch of the Deputy First Minister’s Maths Challenge, developed in partnership with the Scottish Mathematical Council, which will see a series of questions posed over the course of the week, and a brand new Maths Challenge for school pupils during school holidays.
During a visit to Garnetbank Primary in Glasgow to join in Maths Week activities planned by the school, Deputy First Minister John Swinney said: “Maths is a vital skill for everyone to use and enjoy, and it underpins many aspects of daily life.
“Excellence in maths and numeracy attainment is central to the ambitions of this government to keep improving the education of our children and young people, and to close the poverty-related attainment gap.
“The importance of science, technology and engineering to our society is increasing and, as set out in our Programme for Government, we want Scotland to be a leader in digital, high tech and low carbon innovation – maths skills, confidence and initiative are absolutely central to that aspiration.
“The level of engagement we have had from across the country already for all ages and all sectors of society is fantastic. I encourage people to get involved and also join in with the maths challenges I will be posing this week.”
Executive Director of Education at Glasgow City Council and Chair of the Making Maths Count group, Maureen McKenna, said: “I want everyone to be as passionate about maths as I am and to realise that we use maths in just about everything that we do.
“This special week is the chance for children, young people, schools, teachers and adults to showcase their creative and innovative ways of making maths count!”
Maths Week Scotland runs from 11 – 17 September and a list of events and resources are available on the Scottish Government website. Details on the DFM’s Maths Challenge are available on the Making Maths Count blog.
The sum of all fears: changing the perception of maths
A global investment company has added its support to the Scottish Government’s inaugural Scottish Maths Week by showing youngsters that the subject is not just for number-crunching accountants.
Aberdeen Standard Investments is using the platform, which is being promoted up and down the country from 11 – 17 September, to demonstrate that sound maths skills help in daily situations. The firm has devised an online quiz to show youngsters – and adults – that lessons learned in the classroom can set them up for life: http://mathsweekquiz.com/
It sets out a series of everyday problems, from working out sales discounts to increasing recipes when cooking for large groups of friends, to testing their arithmetic skills.The quiz then goes on to show formulas and problem-solving tips so that they can successfully answer similar questions in future.
Aberdeen Standard Investments staff are being encouraged to try the quiz for themselves and share it with their family and friends to deliver on the Scottish Maths Week aim of helping everyone view maths more positively.
Martin Gilbert, co-Chief Executive of Aberdeen Standard Investments, says: “There may be a misconception that maths as a subject is only relevant if you intend to go into business or develop a career, such as accountancy, for which you need a head for figures. That couldn’t be further from the truth.
“Maths is a foundation skill which is essential to so many aspects of our daily lives, regardless of what career path you follow.
“Anything that helps to stimulate interest in maths, which makes it fun and challenging, has to be applauded and we are only too happy to support the inaugural Scottish Maths Week.
“I hope that by the end of the campaign, school children in particular will have a very different view of a subject that will give them skills for life.”
Aberdeen Standard Investment’s support for Scottish Maths Week follows Aberdeen Asset Management’s backing of the Making Maths Count initiative at the Scottish Open at Dundonald Links earlier this summer.
The firm worked in partnership with the Scottish Government and North Ayrshire Council to ensure that the world’s top golf players had to use their arithmetic skills as well as their talents with golf clubs to navigate the course.
Each of the 18 pin flags at the championships – attended by the likes of Rory McIlroy and Rickie Fowler – had mathematic calculations depicting their number, designed by children from primary and secondary schools across North Ayrshire.
The aim of Scottish Maths Week is to show everyone – young and old – the benefits, joy and beauty of maths. The Scottish Government has published a number of resources on the website www.gov.scot/mathsweek to encourage schools, colleges, universities, families and communities to take part.
Aberdeen Standard Investment’s online maths skills quiz can be accessed at http://mathsweekquiz.com/