Hello,

My name is Jessica Wildy and I am currently in my third year of studying a Bachelor of Education (Secondary Physical Education & Health).

I am writing this to lodge a formal complaint on behalf of many other education students currently enrolled in the Bachelor of Education (Secondary Physical Education & Health) with a minor in Mathematics.

According to our graduate qualifications, this selection of a mathematics minor, qualifies us to teach maths up to a year 10 standard. However, we are aware that once placed in a school, it is very common for teachers to have to teach other year levels and even other subjects; meaning that the content knowledge level of maths required should be up to year 12 standard.

Personally, I selected to teach mathematics due to my belief that its content plays a crucial role in every individual’s life. Numeracy knowledge is a significant requirement for functioning in day-to-day society, and for a broad range of professional roles. A strong education in maths during one's schooling can benefit one's life in the ways of increased confidence, vast job opportunities and understandings of everyday societal events; allowing one to become a functional, active, and informed citizen in society (Dion, 2014; Watson, 2008).

However, the nature of the required mathematics topics that us pre-service teachers are required to undertake, has left me (and many others) constantly doubting whether I made the right choice. These topics selected by the university, are conclusively irrelevant and unnecessary for our future role as secondary mathematics teachers.

We are currently enrolled in tertiary level mathematics topics alongside students studying engineering, computer science, ICT, and mathematical science, in which this advanced content knowledge is essential for their relevant professions. However, as future secondary mathematics teachers, where the highest required level of maths knowledge is year 12, these topics are excessively advanced and misaligned with our needs.

As pre-service teachers, we understand that horizon teaching and extending students via differentiated instruction is important, therefore, requiring a higher level of content knowledge ourselves to be known; but ultimately, this does not equate to four topics worth of tertiary maths.

As a result, many capable and passionate pre-service teachers have become overwhelmed and discouraged, which has ultimately led them to withdraw from the mathematics minor entirely.

This generates great concern for the future of mathematics education given the well-documented shortage of teachers, with those most in demand being secondary mathematics teachers (Webster et al., 2004; Thomas, 2000; Whiteford et al., 2021).

Please read this excerpt from Whiteford et al. (2021, p.1), Why become a teacher?: Exploring motivations for becoming science and mathematics teachers in Australia.

"There is a well-documented crisis within Australian schools predicted to worsen in coming years, that is, the shortage of science and mathematics teachers (Australian Government Productivity Commission, 2012; Weldon, 2015). This problem is most acute in the state of Queensland, where 76% of secondary principals reported mathematics and science classes taught by teachers without relevant science or mathematics majors (Australian Education Union, 2016). This shortage adds urgency and impetus for increasing the number of pre-service science and mathematics teachers (Guarino, Santibanez, & Daley, 2006; Plunket & Dyson, 2011)."

It is essential that the university designs mathematics education courses that are both appealing and effective for pre-service teachers, to help address the current demand and ultimately ensure school students receive a high-quality mathematics education.

Many of my fellow students and I, have raised the point that the topics we should be undertaking as future maths teachers should focus on pedagogy and investigating and exploring various teaching approaches that effectively engage and inspire students. But this is not what is happening. Instead, we are getting severely stressed and anxious about completing maths questions from textbooks in a passive learning environment, sitting three-hour exams and spending extensive amounts of time, resources and money on a topic that is irrelevant to our future teaching careers.

A reform is urgently needed for this topic selection of pre-service mathematics teachers. We believe a more appropriate university syllabus would include:

- A strong focus on mathematics pedagogy and curriculum knowledge

- Strategies for differentiation and inclusive teaching specifically for mathematics

- Classroom management specific to maths education

- Approaches to reduce maths anxiety and build student confidence

Then as graduated teachers, our pupils will show greater academic success and ultimately, feel empowered to enjoy and value their mathematics education at school.

As pre-service mathematics teachers, we feel that our educational needs have been largely overlooked by the university. It seems we have been guided into the current mathematics topics not based on pedagogical relevance, but rather due to institutional convenience. We respectfully urge you to reconsider this approach, in consideration of future generations of school students who are at risk of experiencing significant stress and anxiety as a result of poor mathematical performance and low confidence, factors that may ultimately contribute to widespread innumeracy in our population.

The all-too-common maths anxiety experienced by students is no doubt a direct result from the poor teaching in the classroom. We must look at the root cause to solve this issue, and that is initial teacher education. If we are not preparing pre-service mathematics teachers to deliver content in engaging, accessible, and effective ways, how can we expect students to thrive in their mathematics education?

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Kind Regards,

Jessica Wildy & pre-service mathematics teachers.

REFERENCES:

Dion, N. (2014). Emphasizing numeracy as an essential skill. Toronto: Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario.

Thomas, J. (2000). Mathematical sciences in Australia: Looking for a future (p. 32pp). Canberra: Federation of Australian Scientific and Technological Societies.

Watson, Jane (2008). Critical Numeracy in Context. University of Tasmania. Report. https://hdl.handle.net/102.100.100/504193

Webster, E., Wooden, M., & Marks, G. N. (2004). Reforming the labour market for Australian teachers. Melbourne: Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research.

Whiteford, C., Kelly, N., & Dawes, L. (2021). Why become a teacher?: Exploring motivations for becoming science and mathematics teachers in Australia. Australian Journal of Teacher Education (Online), 46(3), 1–19. https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/informit.839676234940316

Please find supporting signatures in this petition, acknowledging support to this argument.