News perhaps lost over Christmas was that national tests are to be introduced by the Goverment for times tables. up to times 12 by age 11. Momentous not so much for the fact that “3R’s back to basics” are being tested –  it seems to makes sense to do so – but for the first time ever a national test is to be conducted on-line with results available immediately.  It is another test for teachers to organise, so more workload, but hopefully the automation minimises administration and marking (provided the iT works !)

No doubt someone will beaver away analysing where the hotspots and coldspots are ( will x7 prove the most difficult, except in Sevenoaks? Will x2 prove the easiest, especially in Twice Brewed?). A benefit of “Big Data” analysis is that it reveals “Wisdom of the Crowds”, or “Bulk Crime” as Police would call it, where when you are able to easily consolidate data, patterns emerge, which can lead to actions being addressed.

We are all getting used to using on-line Maths coaching and testing, there are scores of websites. My own favourites are CGP Mathsbuster, BBC Bitesize, AQA AllAboutMaths, http://www.cimt.plymouth.ac.uk/ .

And last but not least http://www.mrbartonmaths.com/ where he uses “Essential Skills” diagnostic Maths quizzes with the ingenious requirement to add a few lines on “why you believe the answer is correct”, which on compilation reveals the top reasons why pupils get a particular question wrong e.g in BIDMAS. And so “Wisdom of the Crowds” helps tutors and teachers identify problem areas with the certain knowledge that a large number of other pupils also find a topic difficult.

In conclusion, how relevent is the story for GCSE? Well, the national on line test is another step on the road to automation (how far will it go?) and while Times tables will clearly not be asked directly in GCSE, many steps in GCSE questions do require a thorough knowledge of the basics, especially the non-calculator exam, otherwise slow or incorrect answers will result.