Through regular sessions, lower secondary school students (högstadiet) work with mathematics at a more advanced level than in the standard curriculum. The aim is both to challenge students who have progressed far and to spark interest in further studies in science and engineering. At the same time, Sara Maad Sasane sees the initiative as a way to contribute to widening participation.
How do you work in practice with the students in this project?
"One of our student assistants employed in the project – Sofie Rick, a third-year Engineering Physics student – meets the students at Kungsskolan in Örkelljunga once a week. Because of travel time, the meetings have taken place at the school once a month and digitally during the other weeks.
This academic year, around 50 students in years 7–9 have taken part. They study mathematics in a dedicated group (one per cohort), allowing one of their weekly maths lessons to be dedicated to more advanced maths.
The mathematics they work with is at a higher level than the regular curriculum. In practice, the school has chosen to move forward at a higher pace (for example covering year 8 content already in year 7), and the student assistant has supported the students at this higher level."
The students have had major success in various maths competitions, most recently in the international Kangaroo competition – how come?
"I think it has to do with the students having learned to reason and think mathematically. One of them said exactly that in a radio programme broadcast on P4 Kristianstad recently. They have also had some practice with competition-style problems. But the results have really exceeded expectations!
It is also positive that the group of participating students has become fairly large, so that it is no longer “unusual” to be good at mathematics. There is a broad base of capable students who have been given extra challenges that feel stimulating. They support and motivate each other, and they also benefit from having a skilled LTH student helping them, while the school’s teachers are highly competent as well."
What does the collaboration bring back to LTH and the university?
"Hopefully, that more of these students will come to us in a few years. The school is located in a municipality where there is not a particularly strong tradition of pursuing university studies, so this is about widening participation.
The fact that the students have won competitions, in competition with students from other schools and municipalities often with a stronger academic tradition, shows that widening participation is not about lowering standards. These are talented students we would very much like to see studying with us in a few years.
Since the students have won mathematics competitions, the project has also brought positive media attention to mathematics. In the long term, this could help improve the status of mathematics and mathematical knowledge in society."
Why is it important to invest in students who are already strong in mathematics?
"It is not a given that students who are already good at mathematics will choose higher education involving mathematics. If they have found maths boring at school – that can happen if it is too easy – they may choose other programmes that seem more interesting, and then we would lose these talented students.
So it is also about skills supply, while at the same time we want everyone to have equal opportunities. We have chosen to focus on lower secondary students, so that more eligible and suitable students opt for science or technology programmes in upper secondary school (gymnasiet).
Teachers at the school also say they have more time for students who are not part of the project, and less bad conscience about not always being able to offer the right level of challenge to the stronger group. For that reason, the initiative can also benefit students who need more support.
I would also like to dispel the common prejudice that mathematical ability is something you are born with. Of course, it can be developed through practice like other skills – but you cannot learn what you are never exposed to."
Do you see potential for more similar collaborations with compulsory schools (not only in maths)?
"In mathematics, it would be beneficial if more universities focused on rural municipalities in their region. There are municipalities like Örkelljunga all over Sweden, and there is a lot of potential among the students there as well. Similar initiatives in multiple places could yield fantastic results. If companies could sponsor such projects in local schools, more stakeholders could help address the skills supply challenge.
Mathematics is closest to my heart, but I would imagine similar efforts could be of interest in other subjects as well. For example, expanded laboratory work in chemistry could be worth exploring."
You are scaling up next academic year (more schools) – what are you most excited about?
"It will be exciting to see whether we can achieve strong results at the other schools as well. There is, of course, talent among young people everywhere, but conditions may vary depending on how schools are organised. I hope we can expand the project at a steady pace so that we can inspire young people and spread the joy of maths to more schools."