We use maths everyday, in almost everything we do. Without maths we would find it very difficult to:

• Total the change in our pocket.
• Know what time we need to leave home in order to reach school on time.
• Buy groceries from the store or supermarket.
• Cut the Pizza into enough equal pieces to feed the family.
• Share sweets with our friends.
• Balance a cheque book when we are older.

Maths allows us to solve problems that involve space (eg parking a car), measurement (eg calculating how much carpet to order for that renovation) and number (calculating the change so we don't get ripped off).

In the past, learning Maths was based very much on a textbook approach where the teacher explained how the solve a problem and then set exercises to be completed.

The "problems" were rows of sums with no context or relevance. The student mastered the technique by doing it over and over again until they got the right answer.