UTech lecturer says ‘music, more engagement’ can boost student performances in math

Lecturer at the University of Technology (UTech) Dr Glenroy Pinnock has raised concerns about the continued decline in performance of students in CSEC mathematics, and suggests that a solution may lie in how students are engaged in the subject. Music, he believes, can be a powerful tool in harnessing students’ attention and boosting their performance.

Dr Pinnock’s views were part of a poster presentation for his latest paper titled Teachers’ perspectives on Math Issues Locally at the Forecast Conference 2024 held at UTech.

He said: “This research was presented on August 14 and the aim of the research was to contribute to the existing body of knowledge in mathematics education, ultimately improving teaching practices, student outcomes, and the overall quality of STEM education. The research question included the teachers’ perspectives on math anxiety, knowledge gap and lack of understanding.”

Eight years ago, he published a research article titled, Using Live Reggae Instrumental Acoustic Music to Influence Students’ Mathematics Test Scores, in the peer-reviewed Journal of Mathematics Education.

Dr Pinnock posited that many of the students who he taught mathematics listened to instrumental music while studying, and the ones who listened did considerably better at math and other numeric related subjects.

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“I use live reggae instrumental acoustic music to influence students’ test scores. I also believe that most of the people who teach math teach in a non-engaging manner and students are not feeling the spirit of the learning process, hence the dismal year-to-year results. The problem is the way it’s being taught,” Dr Pinnock reasoned. He also believes that boys generally do better at CSEC mathematics than girls.

“This trend has been changing in recent times. (But) educators and parents have a role to play in helping students do better in the subject. First, educators need to create an engaging math class session, hence making learning math fun. Parents need to realise that music is the most powerful unifying force, so they must be careful of the music their children get attached to. For example, those students who listen to roots reggae/ lovers’ rock from their homes will do better at math ultimately,” Dr Pinnock suggested.

Dr Pinnock, a 30-year veteran of the profession, began teaching mathematics at Glenmuir High in Clarendon. He is currently a lecturer in UTech’s Faculty of Science and Sport (School of Mathematics and Statistics).

“I chose to teach math because I wanted to help students to realise how simple the subject is. Once they become a disciple of the math movement, they have no fear academically,” he said.

Originally from Frankfield in Clarendon, Dr Pinnock attended Clarendon College and later studied at The University of the West Indies (Mona) and Walden University.

Said Dr Pinnock, “If the math crisis is not dealt with, then the STEM goals will not be realised. We need a four-cycle math status kit teaching approach to this.”

The consistently poor results in mathematics at the CSEC level has engaged stakeholders across the region. At a recent press conference, Education Minister Fayval Williams also shared her concerns about the level of passes in mathematics.

She said that while “improvements” have been noted in the performance of Jamaican public-school students in the 2024 Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE), the ministry is concerned about the achievement of students in the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examination, with particular dissatisfaction over the mathematics results.

“For this year, of the total CAPE subject entries, 43,661, or 95 per cent were sat with an average pass rate of 90 per cent,” Williams said at the press briefing to unveil the preliminary results.