As students from 25 schools gathered inside the New Education Lecture Theatre for the UWI-sponsored 'Mathematics Problem Solving Competition', organisers were keen that this kind of practical use of mathematics be encouraged as a way of keeping students interested in the subject.

The competition involved one problem that each team of four had to solve. The groups then faced an interview where they were quizzed on their approach.

Camilla Buddo, the competition's organiser, told The Gleaner that the aim was to provoke a greater attraction to problem solving.

"It is about promoting engagement with the problem and also articulation of how they solved it," she explained.

Several teachers thought that this kind of real-world application was vital to keeping students enthusiastic about mathematics.

"There is a phobia of mathematics," said Jamaica College teacher Sashoi Green, "but when students relate it to things around them, they connect more."

Dislike from an early age

Green said that from an early age, many students had developed a dislike for mathematics, so in her classroom she introduces problem solving to "step away" from the syllabus.

A similar attitude was taken by Edna Lawrence, a teacher at Anchovy High: "I try to incorporate problems from both within and outside of the course."

She said that for many teachers, the danger of losing time from teaching outside of the syllabus was too great. "When you try to incorporate problem solving it takes time, and so some shy away from it," said Lawrence, who added: "I don't think that [the mathematics course] is high on the list of things they [students] enjoy, but once I started preparation for this competition, many started to enjoy coming."

Lawrence added that this enthusiasm was maintained even in extra-curricular sessions.

Both teachers believed, however, that practical problem solving meant greater involvement and concentration in the classroom and that it would continue to be used more and more to engage students.

At the end of proceedings, students of Immaculate Conception High School were pronounced the winners with second and third places going to Campion College and Glennuir High.