Bridging the Gap: Enhancing Maths Engagement and Understanding Through Real-Life Contexts

 By Nadir Jebari

Many students see mathematics as abstract, irrelevant to their daily lives, and sometimes even daunting. As teachers, one of the most effective ways to change this perception is by making maths feel more connected to the real world. Bringing real-life examples into lessons helps students see the practical side of what they’re learning, making it more engaging and easier to understand. Here’s how you can put this approach into practice and assess its impact.

Why Use Real-Life Examples?

Using real-life examples in maths lessons isn’t just about telling stories – it’s a powerful way to help students understand tricky concepts. When they can see how maths connects to real life, it becomes more interesting and easier to grasp. For example, looking at payslips to understand tax and income or using cryptocurrency trends to explore percentages and growth can really grab their attention. Linking maths to things like money management and new technology shows students that what they learn in class actually matters in the real world.

Strategies for Using Real-Life Examples

Bringing maths to life with real-world examples helps students understand why it matters. Here are some simple ways to make different maths topics more relevant and engaging:

• Algebra: Show students how algebra is useful in everyday life by having them budget for a grocery shop or plan expenses for a trip. They can also use equations to split costs with friends or compare phone contracts.

• Geometry: Link geometry to real-world professions like architecture, where angles, areas, and shapes are key to designing buildings. Map reading is another great way to explore scale and distance by planning routes.

• Data & Statistics: Use sports to make data fun—students can analyse player stats, win rates, or even predict match outcomes. Class surveys are another hands-on way to collect and interpret data through graphs.

• Fractions, Percentages & Ratios: Everyday activities like shopping and cooking are full of maths. Students can work out sale prices, VAT, or recipe adjustments to see percentages and ratios in action.

• Probability: Make probability more exciting with games like dice rolling, card games, or even predicting the weather. These activities make the topic more hands-on and engaging.

• Financial Maths: Teach essential life skills by discussing savings, interest rates, and loans. Currency exchange is another useful way to introduce ratios and percentages in a global context.

• Time & Scheduling: Help students improve their time management by working with timetables, planning journeys, or organising daily schedules. These tasks make elapsed time calculations more practical.

By using examples that students can relate to, maths becomes more meaningful and useful beyond the classroom.

Collecting Data to Evaluate Effectiveness

To measure the impact of these strategies, data collection is essential. Gathering feedback from students through surveys or questionnaires allows us to assess engagement and understanding. Questions like, “Did this lesson help you understand the topic better?” or “Did you find the examples interesting?” can provide valuable insights. Additionally, using exit tickets with quick prompts such as, “What example helped you the most today?” can help gauge immediate responses.

Class discussions offer another avenue for student feedback, enabling open conversations about which real-life examples they found most useful. Performance data, such as comparing test scores or homework completion rates before and after implementing real-life examples, can provide quantitative evidence of impact.

Gathering insights from staff is equally important. Department surveys can help evaluate whether colleagues have observed increased engagement among students. Peer observations allow teachers to provide qualitative feedback on how students are responding to the lessons. Finally, staff meetings can be used to discuss findings, share successes, and refine approaches for even greater impact.

Analysing and Presenting Data

Quantitative data from surveys and performance scores can be used to generate statistics that measure changes in engagement and understanding. Presenting this information in the form of bar graphs or pie charts helps illustrate trends clearly. Qualitative data, such as recurring themes in student and staff feedback, can highlight which real-life examples were most effective and why.

A robust approach to evaluation involves triangulating data from multiple sources—student surveys, peer observations, and test scores—to draw well-rounded conclusions. By embedding real-life examples into maths lessons and systematically evaluating their effectiveness, we can make mathematics more accessible and meaningful for students.

Not only does this approach enhance engagement, but it also equips students with practical skills they can apply in their daily lives. The goal is clear: bridge the gap between theory and application, showing students that maths is everywhere—and it matters.

The Commission into Countering Online Conspiracies in Schools - A Better Future for Young People

By Shamima Khanom Teacher of History and Theory of Knowledge Coordinator

I attended the launch of the Commission into Countering Online Conspiracies in Schools on the 10th of February 2025 at One Birdcage Walk. There was a short research presentation from Public First, a speech from Sir Trevor Pears from the Pears Foundation and Sir Mufti Hamid Patel, CEO of Star Academies (co-chairs of the Commission), and remarks from Josh MacAlister MP. In this private event, I was joined by people and organisations like The Times, Channel 4, Fair Education Alliance, and many others who are all invested to be part of this important project.

The Commission into Countering Online Conspiracies in Schools was established to investigate the prevalence and impact of conspiracy theories, misinformation, and disinformation among students in English schools. Supported by the Pears Foundation, Public First, and Star Academies, the Commission conducted extensive research involving nearly 500 teachers, 2,000 parents, and 2,300 young people. Research has found that online conspiracy theories are widespread in classrooms, with many students sharing them, sometimes without believing in them. Factors such as age, gender, socioeconomic background, and feelings of marginalization influence susceptibility to these theories. Teachers have expressed concerns about the lack of differentiation between fact and fiction among students and are also concerned that they do not have enough knowledge, support, or resources to deal with this. 

Key findings in the report were:

1. Academic definitions of conspiracy, misinformation, and disinformation are not understood in the same way by the public.

2. Young people and adults exist in information silos and, as a result, informational asymmetry is a pressing issue in this space.

3. Some demographics and groups of young people are more vulnerable to conspiracy beliefs than others.

4. Some young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) may be more vulnerable to conspiracy beliefs, but more research is needed in this area.

5. Pupils discussing conspiracy beliefs in schools are not necessarily doing so because they hold a strong or genuine belief.

6. Although pupils report encountering conspiracy theories, most pupils don’t think they are a problem.

7. Consuming conspiracy content influences pupil behaviour outside of direct conspiracy beliefs.

8. Trust in adults is high, especially from younger teenagers.

9. Despite this trust, when it comes to conspiracy belief, adulthood doesn’t equate to expertise.

10. While adults are concerned about young people’s beliefs in conspiracy theories, they don’t prioritise it among other pressures on young people.

11. Teachers are identified by both parents and young people as a popular vehicle for intervention; however, teachers don’t always feel confident addressing these issues.

12. There should be a ‘pedagogy, not punishment’ approach to these issues in schools.

As a teacher myself, I found some of these key findings relatable and on point. In our field, there is an expectation that we know how to deal with everything within and outside of the classroom on top of everything else we have to do. The reality is that we try our best to provide the safest environment for our students; however, there are and always will be cases where we don’t have the knowledge and practice to deal with scenarios especially when it is not typical to occur in our daily classroom lives. Discussing this with Peter Whitehead in the event, we both agreed that it would benefit educators to be provided with more CPDs and training in matters like online conspiracy theories. Even more, it is vital to understand the difference between misinformation, disinformation and conspiracy and this knowledge should be transferred to all stakeholders. It is extremely important that educators have a better understanding and idea about how to handle situations that pop up in school especially in the classroom. While it is our responsibility to report concerns to safeguarding, it is equally important that we can provide effective verbal solutions in the moment so students can learn from their mistakes- live. There have been many cases where teachers have left feeling unsure and uncertain which leads to things falling through the cracks. It is also crucial that our young people can understand themselves the words and phrases they say that may seem harmless and may be harmless but put into different contexts, there may be different connotations and meanings. If students can explore and be educated on these things; the causes, the consequences, the weight of certain ideas and ideologies then they will be able to understand themselves better. Understanding themselves better equates to having more control of what their future may look like. 

The Commission inspired me to think about a better future where there is better education for young people, more resources and support for educators and a world that isn’t navigated by discrimination, stereotyping and unkindness. This event was Phase 1. Phase 2 is Implementation where schools get more involved. Westminster Academy will be one of the institutions that will be at the forefront of this project which is an exciting opportunity for us. It is truly amazing that Public First and others are doing this for our schools. It is needed and I will be interested to see what is coming. I will keep you updated! 

Reflection question: What conspiracy theories exist in your subject and how does your curriculum tackle them?

Further reading:

Teachers need urgent support to tackle conspiracy theories in the classroom:

https://www.publicfirst.co.uk/teachers-need-urgent-support-to-tackle-conspiracy-theories-in-the-classroom-landmark-study-finds.html