Why is mathematics important?

As teachers this is a question that we are often faced with. Many children have developed a negative attitude towards maths and therefore see it as irrelevant or boring. This belief often continues throughout adulthood leading them to believe that the maths they learn at school holds no benefit. However, it is our job as teachers to challenge this and show our pupils that maths is in our everyday lives.

Take the Great British Bake Off as an example. This is a programme that is loved by many of the British population. The final alone this year reached a record amount of views at 14.8 million people however I bet most of them didn’t realise they were actually watching lots of mathematical concepts happening.

For example, time is a crucial factor in this TV programme. The contestants have an allocated amount of time to prepare their delicious baking. They have to make sure they have enough time to prepare their ingredients, bake their treats, allow them to cool and decorate them. This often all worked out before stepping into the tent as the show stoppers can be up to three or four hours long! The contestants need to be able to convert hours into minutes and accurately work out how long each section of their baking is going to be. This is a highly important skill needed for the Great British Bake Off as get your timings wrong and you could be serving Paul Hollywood a pie with a soggy bottom!

Another important skill you need is measuring. During this competition, the bakers have to be able to measure all sorts of substances from flour to charcoal powder! The contestants also have to be able to use various different measuring equipment. The scales they use may be digital however they also have to use measuring jugs, thermometers and some even use rules to ensure they get a precise bake! This means that the contestants have to be able to read many different measurements and ensure that they are all pin point accurate.

When a recipe book gives you the recipe for ten iced buns but Paul and Prue have asked for twenty-four identical buns, what do you do?! Panic? This is when you need the mathematical concept of scaling up or down. As a contestant on the bake off you will often need to adapt any recipes from cookbooks or great grannies recipes. You may need to double the recipe to get the correct amount at the end or you may need to double it and add on a little bit extra. This concept of scaling is important as get your scale wrong and you will be serving twenty-three identical buns, not twenty-four!

Fractions are also used within the bake off as often in the technical challenges the contestants are asked to spilt their mixture or dough. For example, sometimes the contestants are asked to take a fraction of the dough in order to complete the recipe. This is an important mathematical concept to know as this would save precious time.

So why does the Great British Bake Off mean that we should teach mathematics? This is only one of many examples that prove mathematics is all around us. I picked this example to explain the relevance of mathematics as this is one of my interests. You could also explain the use of mathematics through your daily routine. Working out how much time you need get ready is a mathematical concept as is finding out the time for example.

As teachers this is something that we should encourage everyday within our classroom. We should highlight the importance and relevance of mathematics to encourage children.

Goldhill, O. (2014). How many eggs do you need for a Great British Bake Off?. Available: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/great-british-bake-off/11145249/How-many-eggs-do-you-need-for-a-Great-British-Bake-Off.html. Last accessed 12th Nov 2017.

Lewis, H. (2016). 9 maths skills you need to win the Great British Bake Off. Available: http://www.mathscareers.org.uk/article/9-maths-skills-bake-off/. Last accessed 7th Nov 2017.