The primary goal of any of our academic programs is to make the youngsters ready and prepped up for their future careers. Today the world is technology-driven where, in every step of our career, integration of mathematics, data, and statistics is considered the most common thing. Technology constantly continues to widen opportunities for artificial intelligence and robotics, and human-based aptitude also needs to modify to inculcate problem-solving and critical thinking roles.
Be Workforce Ready – Role of Mathematics
IB Curriculum feels that the study of IB Mathematics must be demanding enough, but, at the same time, others oppose the idea with their point of view on the study of Math that in higher study options, only grade 10 scores are accepted. A conscientious study of mathematics has a much higher value beyond the capacity of simply solving an equation. While at the same time, even now, most students studying algebra are keen to know when will they use the mathematics they have studied in real-life situations.
A befitting reply to such thoughts is that the subject builds loads of skills that are not exclusive to Mathematics. The courage to push oneself through difficult situations and the ability to problem-solving are the primary skills that one learns in mathematics. In every field of career, problem-solving and high-level thinking skills are visible and are constantly evolving.
IB Mathematics Curriculum Meets the Challenge
The goal of IB is to ensure that the students opting for mathematics in their curriculum are future-ready academically and in their professional careers later, enabling them with desired skills that will lead them to the right university or employer. To ensure this, IB follows a practice of reviewing and updating its curriculum once every 7 years, aligning its curriculum with the latest trends in the business world and employment industries. Even currently, the curriculum is widely focused on enhancing problem-solving skills and improving critical thinking needs that will meet the requirements of a technology-driven world.
New Inclusion
A new inclusion in the current 2021-2028 curriculum is more weightage on adaptability for the school and its students to choose what is taught and how besides tracing one’s achievements in mathematics. With an understanding that Artificial Intelligence will play a major role in the future, IB has included mathematics foundations that will be useful for the students to deal with such kinds of data.
Conclusive Contemplation on Mathematics
Practicality in advanced mathematics is hard to visualize beyond applied mathematics, like economics and budgets. The ones advocating high-level mathematics can understand what we foresee. Learning mathematics takes a huge amount of dedication and analytical skills in terms of building blocks for skills essentially required in problem-solving and critical thinking that are broadly trending and much-in-demand skills in the future and even in the workforce today.
Covid Effect
Ever since the era of the pandemic, the whole dynamics of the workplace have changed 360 degrees. Employers are focusing on embracing these new changes and occupational transitions. When employers understand how the work culture is changing, those educating the workforce will also have to change their ways of education.
Given the scenario, here are a few skills that the workforce would need in the future that should be the outcome of the curriculum.
Communicating Visually
Lately, we are witnessing a high rise in photography as most organizations use visual communication as a tool in their communication related to marketing and training. There is a rise in techniques of data visualization and platforms used for the same. Some creative ways to introduce data or visualization of data require the use of software for submitting the visuals. This will take the students beyond analyzing data or finding solutions to problems and teach them ways of data visualization.
Communicating Virtually
Though post-pandemic, the employees must return to their work given that they need specific resources to perform, there is still a big chunk of the workforce chooses the hybrid model at work. This is where the employees effectively communicate and collaborate at the workplace through digital formats.
This model is replicated in the education system as well. More and more schools and colleges are having the options open of conducting online and in-person classes for their students, which allows the students to learn flexibility in communication.
Collaborative Approach
The students working together is an age-old practice through group work used by the teachers. Simultaneously a group of people working together to achieve something is collaboration and is teamwork. The formation might appear the same, yet there is a difference. During the collaboration process, people with different skill sets work together to achieve a common goal which is something bigger that needs self-awareness. People must be aware of their strengths and work on their weaknesses to work and collaborate with others. The students can get together to collaborate and develop a set of documents before they get into a group activity will bridge the process smoothly.
Specific Skill Set
Organizations now seek specific skills like digital skills owing to automation and proficiency to work effortlessly on Excel and google sheets or data visualisation. But, can these skills be incorporated into the curriculum to strike a balance in theory, concepts, and tangible skills? Hiring a subject expert over a week-long bridge course, guiding on acquiring LinkedIn learning badges, or working with coaching centres to design skill-based short-term courses to enhance classroom activities are a few options to be considered.