In May 2022 we engaged, via online surveys, with nearly 6500 school pupils from across Scotland to better understand their attitudes to learning, mistakes and challenges, particularly with maths. We heard from pupils from 30 local authority areas.
Maths is a subject that divides – for some, it induces panic and fear; others believe there are ‘maths people’ and those without a ‘maths brain’. The correlation between attitudes to maths, particularly maths anxiety, and academic performance is clear, both anecdotally and in research, as explored in the Maths Attitude Survey.
We have so far supported more than 600 teachers across Scotland through our mindset in numeracy programmes.
Our current approach is called 'Limitless Learning' - a practical, highly applicable blended learning course for teachers that enables them to implement mindset maths techniques in their classrooms. Find out more about the course here.
Staff at Heriot Primary School in Renfrewshire used growth mindset to help pupils understand that everyone can be good at maths.
Lucy Scollen and six members of her team at Heriot Primary School were struggling to help pupils understand that maths can be engaging and enjoyable, even if their parents had had a less positive experience in their school days.
By helping pupils embrace the idea of focusing on their own development, sharing their mistakes and learning from them, they are becoming more engaged in maths. Pupils are also using different strategies and being creative to help them take on more difficult challenges without fear of failure.
