Maths Eyes
Mathematics surrounds everyone in their everyday lives, but for many it can seem invisible.
Viewing the world through ‘Maths Eyes’ provides excellent opportunities to see – and actively look for – maths in the real world.
Maths Eyes is based on the idea that if individuals are supported to look at familiar things in their environment through a ‘maths lens’, they will begin to see that mathematics is all around them and this will help them build confidence in their own ability to use mathematics.
Maths Eyes provides:
- a way to see the maths that surrounds us at school, at home, in the garden, on the street, in the park or in any other real-world setting
- a different way of looking at familiar things
- an opportunity to provide opportunities to talk about maths
- a fun way to identify problems to solve.
When teachers have Maths Eyes they can identify real-world starting points for mathematics teaching and develop lessons that are relevant to the social, cultural and educational context of their students. Maths Eyes highlights the usefulness of mathematics and builds confidence in mathematics. Developing Maths Eyes offers excellent opportunities for engaging families in mathematics.
When students have Maths Eyes they become more confident in their own proficiency in mathematics and begin to regard themselves as a maths person (https://haveyougotmathseyes.com).
Everyone has Maths Eyes, they just need to be opened.
Maths Eyes is an initiative first developed in 2003 by Dr Terry Maguire of Limerick University, Ireland. As part of her research on mathematics education, Dr Maguire identified the need for everyday maths to be made more visible. Maths Eyes has been designed to help people recognise that mathematics is all around us and a part of our everyday lives. By developing Maths Eyes, individuals can build confidence in making connections between maths concepts and the real world.
Maths Eyes supports aims of the Australian Curriculum: Mathematics V9.0, to ensure that students:
- foster a positive disposition towards mathematics, recognising it as an accessible and useful discipline to study
- become confident, proficient and effective users and communicators of mathematics, who can investigate, represent and interpret situations in their personal and work lives, think critically and make choices as active, engaged, numerate citizens.
