Passing CSEC Math and English with at least a grade 3 is one if the main entry requirements for jobs in Guyana and the Caribbean. However, the pass rate in Math is very low as many students enter the exams with poor skills in numeracy and basic algebra. Lack of these basic skills makes it difficult for them to master relatively simple topics like vectors, matrices and circle geometry. How can this problem be solved in 8 to 12 months when preparing adult learners who only benefit from 2 to 4 hours training per week? A good starting point is to get learners to spend time learning 2 to 16 times tables by heart. Next would be to teaching them to understand addition and subtraction using the number line. Learning BIDMAS, especially when the operations include both negative and positive numbers is also very important. Needless to say is the importance of learning different methods of doing fractions, including algebraic fractions.
For students with a good primary education, the starting point is to learn how to group, add, subtract, multiply and divide indices and how to multiply brackets. Once multiplication or simplification of brackets is mastered, factorization or insertion of brackets should be introduced.
Once a student masters the basic concepts discussed above it should be easy to complete the CSEC Math syllabus in 8 months.
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