Maths is about preparing

students to play ‘the game of life’

So we need to teach students the rules, and then play it with them!
Siobhan “And of course, the things they do not know must be taught
Merlo to them by other people who do. The people around them
must give their assistance. Education is not intervention but
assistance towards self-reliance. For example, how would it be if
one were thrown into society without knowing any traffic rules;
without knowing the meaning of red lights and green lights? Or,
if one had no car-driving skills and found oneself behind the
wheel? Naturally, there are rules to be learned here and skills to
be attained …”
(The Courage to be Happy by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga p. 14.)

I have often wondered why there are some controversies which persist for
a very long time. Take, for example, the explicit instruction versus inquiry
debate in maths education. On the one hand, proponents of explicit instruction
argue for the importance of teacher-led synthetic, structured and systematic
instruction for teaching academic skills, while inquiry approaches aim to
support students to construct their own knowledge/schemas by providing
engaging tasks intended to pique their natural curiosity. This is indeed a
very hot topic – there is a lot at stake here. Australia’s mathematics PISA
(Programme for International Student Assessment) results have declined
over the past 15 years (see report here), rankings have dropped relative to
international standards, and stakeholders in this space are scrambling to work
out why, and what can be done about it. This is not to mention the impacts
that lack of skills in mathematics have on the economy and the country in the
global context.
After much contemplation, and I know I am heading into dangerous waters
here, I have come to the conclusion that the reason this debate has persisted
is because: both sides are right! The only problem is, neither side in its purest
form captures the entire story, and this is why:

Maths, survival and agency

In my previous conversation piece, I addressed the issue of why mathematics is
not only relevant, but critical for survival, especially in today’s complex world.
I argued that:
“Children need to build the foundational skills necessary and be
versed in the socially-agreed upon mathematical conventions by
which to communicate and interact with others, so that they can
use critical thinking and logic to make astute decisions and solve
increasingly complex problems. In these ways, they are able to
optimise favourable experiences and minimise negative outcomes.
Thus, mathematics is not only relevant, it gifts children with
agency in their lives and is essential for survival.”

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 Preparing students to play ‘the game of life’

If we accept the
purpose of mathematics
education is to prepare
students for ‘the game
of life’ and not merely
to cover content in the
curriculum, then setting
students up for repeated
success ensures they
will continue trying,
take on new challenges
and develop the agency
needed to survive in a
complex world.

In other words, the purpose of implications, school for repeated success ensures they will
mathematics education is to prepare refusal, leaving school continue trying, take on new challenges
students for ‘the game of life’. early and school and develop the agency needed to
‘Mastery’ is an element of control detachment. In transition survive in a complex world. So, how
which is a human drive implicated in to adulthood, it often do we prepare students for ‘the game
‘the game of life’. Similar to the smell translates into difficulty of life’, and what implications does this
of fresh bread, when a person has maintaining employment, have for pedagogy?
‘mastered’ something, neurochemicals unemployment, not
such as dopamine are released in the venturing into further Relevance!
brain, which are recorded in memory study, low income, mental First and foremost, would you start
and drive the individual to repeat the health problems, poor teaching a child the rules of a game
same behaviour again. Interestingly, we financial decision making, without telling them why? This may
know from the research that motivation never owning one’s own seem preposterous, but judging on
in mathematics at school is linked to home, and in the most how many times students have said to
mastery. Motivation is not linked to dire of circumstances, me that they have no idea why they
teachers trying to convince students that incarceration.” are doing the maths they are being
‘maths is fun’, or textbooks featuring asked to do, this happens more than it
In other words, students should. Students need to understand
bright colours and images of ice cream.
experiencing repeated failure in why the maths has a functional purpose
Neither is it linked to presenting
mathematics often start to ‘bow out’ in their lives, but this is often a tricky
students with challenging problems
before the game has even started. tightrope: we need to explain the
which they do not have the skills and
Educators and schools have a purpose, but we can’t expect them to
knowledge to solve.
significant role to play in determining play the game without knowing the
Correspondingly, there are serious
which path their students take. By rules first. Throwing students into
implications for a person’s wellbeing if
adopting sound pedagogical approaches the deep end with minimally guided
they are subjected to persistent failure.
and ensuring that tasks are pitched approaches when they are not yet ready,
As I wrote in my previous conversation
at a level which enables students is another educational trap which can be
piece:
to experience outcomes in favour made when attempting to make maths
“Repeated failure in of success and not failure, schools ‘relevant’. So, students need to know
mathematics may have are effectively making a significant the goal of the game and that we, as
devastating impacts on the contribution to their wellbeing and educators, will teach them the rules so
life trajectory, including indeed, their survival. If we accept the they can play it.
during school: anxiety, purpose of mathematics education is to
learned helplessness and prepare students for ‘the game of life’ If math is preparation for life, explicit
poor self-concept, social and not merely to cover content in the instruction is about rules
isolation, behavioural curriculum, then setting students up Now for a second question: would

Nomanis | Issue 16 | January 2024 | 37

Preparing students to play ‘the game of life’

you ask a child to play a game with automaticity which results enables The Singapore syllabus, for example,
you, without telling them the rules? them to be successful when tackling includes a strong emphasis on relevance
Would you ask them to just start increasingly sophisticated mathematical and cultivating positive attitudes towards
playing and say: “You’ll pick up the challenges. So, just like going to the mathematics, explicit instruction, practice
rules as you go”? I don’t believe many gym to improve fitness, students need towards mastery (drill), and inquiry and
people would, because this would place drill to be able to achieve mastery. application to novel problems. It is also
the child at a serious disadvantage, not surprising that Singapore has a strong
especially if they were competing Inquiry approaches are about economy to boot. If we do not want
against other children who did know rehearsing for the game our children to be the students who do
the rules. This is not to mention the Now – for a final question: Would not ‘know the rules’ or who have never
amount of time it might take, that they you teach a child the rules of a game, had a chance to ‘rehearse for the game’
may pick the rules up incorrectly, or and then not play it with them? That among others who have, we need to start
they may not work out the rules at all. would definitely not seem right, as working together and accepting that there
And then, there are the implications for children need to be able to apply their is a place for both explicit instruction
students’ wellbeing, knowing that other knowledge to novel situations, so they and inquiry pedagogies, and that neither
children seem to understand something can build increasingly sophisticated one on its own is sufficient. There would
they do not. Explicit instruction in schemas. These schemas allow them to not be international tests for both the
mathematics is about teaching students solve the problems they encounter and conventions of mathematics (Trends in
the rules and conventions for playing make decisions which promote positive International Mathematics and Science
‘the game of life’ so that students can outcomes and minimise negative ones in Study – TIMMS), and the application of
be set up for success. their lives. This is not to mention how mathematical knowledge (Programme
disappointed they would be if they had for International Student Assessment
Conceptual knowledge in worked hard to learn the rules and then – PISA) if either pedagogy was. As I
mathematics is essential, but drill is had no chance to play the game! Inquiry
have argued here, students also need
also necessary (and kind!) and other minimally guided approaches
to understand the functional purpose
Imagine arriving in secondary school, work when students have already
of the maths they are being asked to
like many Australian school students been taught the rules through explicit
do from the outset, and they need to
do, and being required to make instruction and mastered them through
practise until they achieve mastery. In
measurement conversions swiftly, find practice. Such pedagogies are also
these ways, we can move towards a more
common denominators, understand engaging because they allow students to
integrated pedagogical approach which
percentages and more, without apply the knowledge they have mastered
sets students up for success and facilitates
automatic number fact and times- and provide a ‘carrot’ for keeping
our children’s ability to optimise positive
table knowledge? How long would it students in the game. Opportunities
take if you were still using concrete provided through this type of approach outcomes and minimise deleterious ones
methods and repeated addition to are not only engaging but allow children in ‘the game of life’.
work these things out? How would to rehearse for ‘the game of life’.
you feel if you looked around the room
and other students were doing the An integrated direction for Dr Siobhan Merlo is a Senior Product
same schoolwork effortlessly? Lack of Australian mathematics education Developer and Senior Member of the
automaticity in significant mathematical If the purpose of education is to MultiLit Research Unit. She obtained her
skills stymies mathematical growth. support students to develop the PhD from the University of New South
It also sets students up for failure temperaments, skills and knowledge Wales in Cognitive Load Theory in 2005
experiences which may ultimately necessary to play ‘the game of life’, and has worked as a psychologist and
damage their self-concepts and affect it is an ethical responsibility to set learning intervention teacher over the
their wellbeing. children up for repeated success past 20+ years. Following her extensive
This is not to minimise the in mathematics so that they ‘stay work with students exhibiting specific
critical importance of conceptual in the game’. Not only does this and pervasive learning difficulties, she
knowledge which enables students have implications for the wellbeing lectured in numerous subjects as part of
to develop increasingly sophisticated of individuals, but also for the the Masters of Learning Intervention at
understandings that can be applied to wellbeing of the country. I have no the University of Melbourne, and designed
novel situations. It just means that once doubt that highest ranking countries and developed the Specific Learning
children have been taught mathematical on international mathematics tests Difficulties in Numeracy subject. Siobhan
conventions through explicit conceptualise mathematics as critical works within the theory-to-practice nexus
instruction, they need to practise them for ‘the game of life’, with subsequent to develop programs which promote
and develop increasingly efficient implications for pedagogy as I have fluency as well as deep conceptual
strategies to solve problems faster. The described here. understanding of mathematics.

38 | Nomanis | Issue 16 | January 2024