A second member of a group tasked with reforming mathematics courses for the Leaving Certificate has resigned.
Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin, an associate professor of mathematics at Dublin City University (DCU), said there were a number of shortcomings in the draft curricula.
Professor Pauline Mellon resigned from the group in January citing similar concerns.
Work on updating the Leaving Cert maths curriculum began almost two years ago, and draft specifications have been published.
However, Dr Ní Shúilleabháin said she resigned from working with the group charged with changing the curricula in June because it was no longer something she could be part of.
She said the curricula were littered with mathematical errors and inaccuracies; would not give students a flavour of how enjoyable the subject could be; and would not prepare them for further study.
“I was hopeful that a review of the curriculum would be evidence-based, would interrogate what has or hasn’t worked well so far, and would explore what mathematical skills students might need in ten years time where there are multiple global challenges to contend with in a data-drive and AI-integrated world,” Dr Ní Shúilleabháin said.
Watch: Draft LC maths curricula ‘inaccurate’ – Ní Shúilleabháin
“Unfortunately, conversations were limited to simply removing content and shoe-horning assessments into a format that does not make sense.
“As the second person to resign from this group, I believe there are fundamental structural issues in how we design, plan and implement the policy documents that are our national post-primary curricula in Ireland,” she added.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland programme, Dr Ní Shúilleabháin said there was never a discussion or opportunity allowed to ask what students will need in ten years’ time.
She said students are “going to be graduating at a time or coming into a world of work at a time that is data-driven and AI-based”.
“Is there mathematics topics or mathematical skills that we are not teaching them currently that will benefit them into the future? That discussion was not had, and I think that’s to a detriment of our young people.”
The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) said the draft proposals are to allow for teachers and others working in education an opportunity to assess them.
It said public engagement would be sought in the coming months.
This feedback, it said, will help “to shape the next stage of work and ensure the final mathematics specifications are clear, rigorous, inclusive and practical to implement”.
Dr Ní Shúilleabháin said there were excellent people on the group and that she “enjoyed working with them, but there needs to be a greater balance of teachers and subject experts”.
“I regularly shared my concerns with the group and with members of the NCCA,” she said, “and I requested a meeting with the educational minister a number of months ago”.
Dr Ní Shúilleabháin said that if she had trust that fundamental changes could be made to the curriculum after the public consultation, then she would have stayed.
“If I had trust that after the public consultation, fundamental changes could be made to this curriculum and errors corrected and the content made coherent, I would have stayed. But I do not trust that that is the process,” she added.
Meanwhile, Prof Mellon has called for an investigation to take place into ongoing reforms of the Leaving Certificate Maths curriculum.
“I think this proposed curriculum needs to be scrapped, and a public consultation will not fix this problem,” she said on RTÉ’s Today with David McCullagh.
Prof Mellon, who resigned from the group because of her concerns with the curricula, said that public consultation is about tweaking a syllabus and not about writing one.
She said that her feedback was not being taken on board and that she “exhausted every possible avenue to try and get my voice heard”.
“I resigned because I feel they’re not fit for purpose, and I can’t give any stamp of approval to the curricula in that state,” she said.
NCCA director Rachel Linney said efforts are made to ensure documents are mathematically accurate.
The documents, she said, are edited many times in light of feedback and mistakes can be made.
However all mathematical errors and inconsistencies can be fixed, she added.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Today with David McCullagh, she said: “We do strive to obviously ensure that the documents are mathematically accurate, and we did have an independent mathematician review the documents for any inaccuracies and errors in advance of their publication for consultation.”
Ms Linney said the Leaving Cert builds on many years of students learning maths in early childhood, primary, and in Junior Cycle which means it is important to consider the mathematical experience that students have, as well as considerations for their future.
Speaking on the same programme, Arlene Forster, spokesperson for the NCCA said re-development of the maths curriculum is a rigorous, evidence based process and public consultation is a key part of the process.
She said the NCCA receives feedback in a number of different ways and this is shared with development groups working on the curriculum.
Ms Foster said feedback from the first public consultation was summarised by the NCCA and brought to the development group.
Since September last year, all of the raw feedback can also be accessed by any members of development groups, including maths, Ms Forster added.
“We receive feedback in lots of different ways on our draft curriculum documents. So, we include, you know, written submissions, surveys.
“We work very closely with schools. We hold events as well. All of that feedback is analysed and it is shared with the development groups working on the curriculum.”
She said it is “very rare” for two experts to leave a group. However she pointed out that the group has 15 members and a wide range of relevant expertise.
“This is a mathematics development group of 15 members. They have a really wide range of relevant expertise, including mathematics, maths education, and post-primary education more broadly.”
Ms Forster said the public consultation is running for an extended period of time and the NCCA is eager to hear from anyone with an interest.
She acknowledged the contributions made by Prof Mellon and Dr Ní Shúilleabháin and said their comments would be taken on board.
I have already met with Professor Mellon and will meet with Dr Ní Shúilleabháin, she added.
“There will be different perspectives, different viewpoints, different opinions.
“We have to work through those and arrive at consensus about the curriculum, while all the while having a really close eye to research, international good practice, but ultimately with students at the very centre of this and what we’re trying to achieve for young people in this particular stage of their education,” she added.