There are a number of reasons why maths is good | Education - The Age

If you want to put the brakes on global warming, cure disease, explore the secrets of space, animate your favourite story or build a robot, you need to start understanding maths and statistics, argues Janine Sprakel, schools program manager at the Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute and the project director for CHOOSEMATHS.

Photo: Janine Sprakel

Students all over Australia are mulling over subject selection about now. It is a daunting decision-making process.

Will it be university or a trade, or will they head straight into work? Year 10 students have the option to keep or drop mathematics. Those in year 11 might be studying maths now, but are wobbly in their commitment for next year. Year 12 students are thinking about where they will head. University students begin semester two with an eye on the future. It is a confusing time.

But let's have a look at what the world will look like as these students leave the education system...

Australia needs to rewrite the conversations we have with our students, our children and each other.

Here are some of the common excuses that we hear for not pursuing maths:
Read more... 

Source: The Age