Reforming junior cycle: Lessons from project maths

The focus of this chapter is on mathematics education and, in particular, a curriculum initiative, "Project Maths", that predated the current round of junior cycle reform in Ireland. Project Maths was a major reform of post-primary mathematics education in Ireland and involved changes to what students learnt in mathematics, how they learnt it and how they were assessed. The changes were introduced to all schools nationally in Autumn 2010. However, their introduction on a phased basis meant that it was June 2017 before a substantial cohort of students had experienced all five strands of Project Maths throughout their second-level education. The new junior cycle mathematics specification was introduced for all first-year students in Autumn 2018. The close proximity between the reforms caused some stress for mathematics teachers. This chapter outlines the main similarities and differences between the reforms and investigates what lessons from the recent experiences of Project Maths might usefully inform ongoing implementation of the junior cycle reform.