An Experiment in the Teaching of ‘Modern Mathematics’ in Schools

Extract

There has been a great interest in the possibility of teaching ‘modern mathematics’ in schools ever since the Southampton Conference in 1961 when Professor Bryan Thwaites and his team put forward their plan for modernising school mathematics, especially for the period spanning the four years before ‘0’ level. Their reason for the change was that, since during that period the child’s mind is most intellectually alive, a lot of dull, heavy manipulative work would do far more harm than good, whereas they felt that ‘modern mathematics’ would be more intellectually stimulating and enjoyable. Since then, several Examination Boards have produced alternative syllabuses for ‘0’ level, containing set theory, group theory, etc. More and more schools have been doing the two-year course leading up to this examination, and the first papers were set last year.