Why numeracy matters

Why should you bother with maths? What’s the point? What use is it to you?

Maths doesn’t end in the classroom – it’s used all the time, as an essential set of tools for solving problems in all sorts of situations in work and everyday life. Improving your maths skills can help you go further in your course, employment and in your daily life.

Look at the videos below and pick the one that is most relevant to your career and aspirations. You will hear other learners talk about maths and how they use it every day.

Now think about the ways you already use maths in your own life. Do you need to solve problems, handle information or work with numbers in your everyday life? Do you use maths in your course, at home or in your job? We hope you’re convinced – maths is everywhere, and improving your maths is one of the biggest steps forward you can take in your work, your studies, and in everyday life.

Why self-belief is the key

Can you do it? Can you become a ‘maths person’?

If you are convinced that you just ‘can’t do maths’, then it can be really hard to motivate yourself to try. Fortunately, evidence shows that everyone has the ability to learn maths; we’ve all got a ‘maths brain’. With effort, anyone can improve their maths, and believing this opens the door to progress.

Look at the videos below to hear other learners talk about how they have come round to feeling more positive about maths.

Think about some of the ways you already use maths, in everyday life, your course or at work. Since you’re already doing maths, you must already have a ‘maths brain’. Making progress in maths means building on what’s already there.

Why you shouldn’t give up

What do you need to do next? How can you get better at maths?

Like everything else, making progress in maths requires effort. Effort means taking the hard step of getting started, then keeping going, even when things get tough. Remember, mistakes are learning opportunities!

You’ll need to come up with your ways to maintain effort, rather than just telling yourself to ‘work harder!’ Watch the video below for some more ideas of strategies to try when you get stuck on a maths problem. You can also hear from other learners about what works for them.

All three of the factors that we have looked at – ‘value, belief, and effort’ – fit together to make progress in maths possible. Get these attitudes right in the first place, and things will be much easier. So, remember the key messages:

• Value: you need to see the point, the value of improving your maths
• Belief: you can do it – you are a maths person – belief in this will really help
• Effort: like anything else that’s worthwhile long term – improving your maths will take some effort, patience and resilience.