French government report advises shakeup of maths teaching
The French education ministry has released a report prepared by leading French mathematician and MP Cédric Villani, who was awarded the coveted Fields Medal, detailing measures to improve teaching of mathematics which it says has produced 'catastrophic' levels of competence in the subject, recommending better maths training for largely arts-orientated primary school teachers and less reliance by pupils on calculating machines.
France's government is worried about how many of its schoolchildren consider themselves "stupid at maths", reports ABC News.
The education minister released a report Monday commissioned by renowned mathematician and legislator Cédric Villani describing "catastrophic" scores and recommending 21 steps to turn things around.
France's math scores have been sinking on international rankings for most of this century. The report warns that the current system is leading to "a lasting loss of self-esteem" that continues into adulthood, and greater inequality between those strong in maths and the rest.
