Season's Greetings from Maths Week Ireland
Thank you for supporting Maths Week Ireland during what was an extraordinary year! 2020 is year that none of us will ever forget, no matter how hard we try. Educators and students across the island had to quickly adapt to a new way of teaching and learning. Maths Week Ireland were committed to supporting teachers during this time and so the Maths at Home initiative was born. Then as teachers and students broke for the summer holidays the team at Maths Week Ireland started planning for the annual Maths festival in October. We felt that students and their teachers needed some normality and what better way to do that than to participate in the 15th Maths Week Ireland festival. As you know, this year’s festival took place largely online and the response from teachers has been overwhelming positive. Thank you to all who completed the post evaluation survey, we are working on improvement for the New Year – see below for key findings.
In this month’s newsletter, we have a student survey, hands on STEAM activities for all ages, more prize winners from this year’s festival, and we look ahead to maths related activity taking place across the island of Ireland this month and early next year.
We wish you all health and happiness over the holidays!
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Survey for Students:
Every year we survey the students who attend live events during Maths Week to get a better understanding of what Maths Week means to them and to measure the impact on student’s behaviours and attitudes towards the subject. This year, we could not meet students face-to-face and so we are reaching out to their teachers instead.
We are asking primary school teachers and students to complete the survey as a group. Teachers can ask the questions, students raise their hand and then the teacher counts and records the results.
We are asking that secondary school teachers share the survey link with their students, and for students to complete the questionnaire individually on a PC, tablet or mobile phone. The link is https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2SN8KPP
Survey’s will take about 5 minutes to complete and will help us greatly when planning for next year’s Maths Week Ireland festival.
Please click the relevant button below.
Thank you
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STEAM: Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Maths.
We are getting into the Christmas spirit here in Maths Week Ireland. The team are designing some great Christmas activities for all ages that will keep hands and minds busy this festive season. Each day of advent will see a new STEAM activity for your students to try out in school and/or at home. The hands-on activities will include coding, mechanics, animation, pop up cards, matchstick puzzles and will develop student's creativity, problem-solving and motor skills.
The first activity begins on Sunday November 29 and a new activity will be released each day until Thursday December 24.
Check out https:www.mathsweek.ie/2020/christmas-puzzles for the daily activities.
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The IMTA MathsFest made a welcome return this year, taking place online last Saturday. While we missed the opportunities for meeting and chatting, the format did allow for greater access with over 800 teachers registered. The excellent programme included:
Michael Walsh - Investigating complex numbers in a socially distanced classroom
Pam O’Brien - Tales from the frontline of teaching Maths online
Stephen Eustace Inspiration Session: Making learning more #Onederful with Microsoft Education
Stephen Daly - Quick ICT wins for engagement in Maths
Cornelia Connolly – Diving Deep into Numeracy
Dympna McCoy - Learning to Learn: Capturing Students' Imagination
Darren Murphy - Formative Assessment using Digital Portfolio - a Maths Perspective
Eoghan O’Leary - Inferential Statistics for Leaving Cert Higher Level
Aidan Roche - Five dimensions of powerful blended classrooms
Key Note Speaker Craig Barton – Maths’ Many Misconceptions
Karen Burke - Assessment & Feedback with Microsoft Teams
Aibhín Bray - Numeracy in Context: Exploring real life contexts for numeracy development
Arlene Murphy - Using CensusAtSchool and Geogebra to teach Probability and Statistics
Eoghan Long - The new Applied Maths specification for Maths teachers
These presentations are available on MathsFest 2020 YouTube channel
The new Applied Maths curriculum was outlined by Eoghan Long with an invitation to interested maths teachers to participate in the PDST information and training in applied maths. Information available here
The keynote address by Craig Barton addressed the value of using diagnostic testing before starting a topic to identify students' misconceptions. Knowing what the students are likely to know and where they are likely to struggle can be the starting point for lesson planning. Banks of free diagnostic questions that thousands of pupils around the world have answered are available at the diagnostic questions website. You can see how this population of students answered and what their misconceptions were for a wide variety of topics. Craig's website Mr Barton Maths has lots to interest all maths teachers.
A presentation that will be very useful for teachers wanting to use technology more effectively was given by Aiden Roche who teachers in Enniscorthy. Aidan outlined 5 dimensions of a blended classroom and described many of the free technologies available to teachers. Aidan's websites are a great resource for teachers at the present time.
Blended Learning: This site is developed by teachers for teachers as we respond to a new and evolving reality during this time of COVID-19. The purpose of this site is to support Irish second-level teachers and students engage in quality remote and blended teaching, learning and assessment.
emaths is a website Aidan has developed to support his Leaving Cert. Higher Level Mathematics students. The material is open for any student who finds the material helpful. |
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IMTA AGM
The conference was followed by the IMTA AGM. Judging from the excellence of the presentations and the numbers participating, the IMTA is thriving. New members are welcome and the committee would also be interested in supporting the establishment of new local branches.
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PDST News
The Professional Development Service for Teachers provides a lot of support and development for maths teachers in the Republic, but their resources may be of interest and use to all.
Their most recent newsletter was issued last Friday and can be seen here
Recordings of webinars and other resources can be found on their website.
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Key findings from teachers post survey
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We want to thank all the educators who have responded to the pre and post survey for Maths Week. We have taken your feedback on board and will use it to improve the Maths Week experience for teachers and students next year. Below we present some of the key findings
- 90% of teachers said there were more positive signs of their pupils enjoying the subject.
- 65% of teachers felt in their professional judgement that participation improved their pupils’ attitude towards maths.
- 90% of respondents said they discovered something new that they will use in their teaching.
- 87% of teachers surveyed said they would like a mixture of face-to-face and online events post Covid.
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The class really enjoyed MathsWeekTV every day and the challenges set for them. They loved watching the zoom calls as they really felt they were part of something bigger! I was so impressed at how engaged and excited they were all week!
Primary School Teacher, County Limerick. |
Thanks for providing another fantastic Maths Week full of fun and learning for all of us! It was a really enjoyable week and all the pupils agreed that it was a huge success.
Primary School Teacher, County Dublin. |
Our children need to enjoy maths as a living subject. We are so often confined to content in a workbook/textbook, but must encourage teachers (old and young!) to think outside the box to truly engage our pupils.
Primary School Teacher, County Derry-Londonderry. |
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We participate every year as a whole school and it has become a highly anticipated week where staff and students let loose and explore a myriad of mathematical ideas and adventures.
Primary School, County Dublin. |
The Classroom was buzzing with ‘maths chat’ - a great team building exercise as well as getting them to all work together.
Primary School Teacher, County Laois. |
Congratulations to the Maths Week Team on putting together and delivering an incredible range of engaging and entertaining resources. You not only promoted interest and helped to develop a good attitude towards maths but also through making learning fun you helped children to recognise and have confidence in the aptitude that exists in them all.
Librarian, County Wexford. |
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Prize winners from Maths Week
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Winners of the post evaluation draw
Congratulations to the winners of our Maths Week 2020 teacher post survey draw who have each won a Samsung Tablet!
Amy Cahill, Colaiste Clavin Secondary School, County Meath
Enya Doherty, Longtower Primary School, Fermanagh
Karen Batchelor, Wheatfield Primary School, County Antrim
Congratulations to Emma Howley, Kilternan National School, County Dublin who has won a set of IZAK9 Cubes!
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Winners of the Maths Week Family Scavenger Hunt
Congratulations to all who took part in the online scavenger hunt during Maths Week 2020! Special congratulations to the top 5 families (you know who you are) who have won a family pass to a STEM Discovery Centre in Ireland or Northern Ireland.
Special Thank you to our partners who sponsored this event
- Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, County Armagh
- W5 Belfast, County Antrim
- The National Reptile Zoo, County Kilkenny
- SEA Life Bray, County Wicklow
- Castlecomer Discovery Park, County Kilkenny
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Winners of the Maths Week Mega Quiz
Congratulations to all the winners and to all who took part – it is all about participation! Prizes are already in the post. If your class is one of the lucky winners, we would love it if you could photograph your students receiving the prize and email it on to us.
The Primary winners are:
- Mr. Burns' Primary 7 Class in Riverdale Primary School, Lisburn
- Mr. Hyland’s 6th Class pupils, Scoil Mhuire Caisleann Nua, Co. Tipperary.
The Secondary winners are:
- Ms. Mathews’ Class Bangor, St. Mac Dara’s Community College, Templeogue, Dublin.
- Ms. Boyle’s Class 1A, St. Columba’s Comprehensive School, Glenties, County Donegal.
Well done to all the pupils and teachers that took part – it was great work by everyone. Thanks also to Franz Schlindwein of Qubizm for devising the quiz.
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Congratulations to Caoimhín O’Leary, a fifth year student from Ard Scoil na Mara in Tramore, County Waterford on being announced as the SciFest SFI STEM Champion 2020. He will now go on to represent Ireland and bring his injury rehabilitation research to the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair next May. Read more here ->
https://scifest.ie/News/SciFest-SFI-STEM-Champion-2020/248953/Index.html
image: Twitter: scifest4stem
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Mathematics Ireland 2021 Calendar
As the calendar year comes to an end we are now looking forward to what 2021 will bring. For the past 5 years Maths Week Ireland has produced a valuable maths resource in the form of a Maths Ireland calendar. It is a celebration of several centuries of Irish maths heritage along with dates of key events of interest to mathematicians. With the current health pandemic and the restrictions that brings, we are unsure yet if we can continue with this initiative this year. However, if you would like to express your interest in receiving a free copy then email mathsweek@wit.ie. Please put “Calendar” in the subject box. We hope to give away calendars to the first 100 people who email in.
Mathematics Ireland Blogs
You can catch up on the year’s maths Ireland blogs on http://www.mathsireland.ie/blog . There you will find regional Irish blogs that focus on mathematical people associated with counties Cavan, Laois, Derry-Londonderry, Meath, and Leitrim as well as an interesting look into the mathematical connections between Ireland and Wales. And of course many other counties covered in past years.
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Royal Institution Lectures
Tuesday 15 December
What's the point: why maths really matters
7.00pm to 8.30pm,
All around the world children, and even some adults, ask the question: ‘What is the point of mathematics?’. The field of mathematical modelling not only helps answer this question, it can help quench the human thirst for knowledge.
In this talk, join Chartered Mathematician Nira Chamberlain as he shares the serious, and fun, applications of mathematical modelling.
From the edge of our solar system to battling an artificial intelligence takeover, we will see the point of mathematics after all.
Booking details here
This event is free, but the RI welcomes donations via the website.
Royal Institution Christmas Lectures: Planet Earth: A user’s guide
An annual Christmas tradition on the BBC, the lectures are the UK's flagship science series.
Three expert scientists, Tara Shine, Chris Jackson and Helen Czerski, join forces to present the three lectures. Chris, Helen and Tara reveal the hidden wonders of Earth that keep us all alive and explore the impact of human activity on our planet.
Normally the lectures are filmed in front of a live audience. This year, due to COVID, there will be no live audience. They will be broadcast between Christmas and the New year.
Details available here
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December 22 National Maths Day India
India's national maths day takes place this month, commemorating https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-why-india-marks-national-mathematics-day-on-december-22-6179924/ Ramanujan who was born on the 22 December 1887. Ramanjan's story is one of the most touching and inspiring stories in the history of mathematics.
Learn about Ramanujan and India's National Maths Day in this article.
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January 6 – 8
BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition.
 For the first time in the Exhibition’s history, the BT Young Scientists and Technology Exhibition is going virtual. The exhibition will have entries from secondary school students from Ireland, North and South who are aged between 12 and 19 years.
The primary science Fair will also take place virtually alongside the exhibition, allowing those students in primary school with an interest in science and technology to be an integral part of one of the world’s leading and longest-running school science exhibitions.
For more information go to www.btyounscientist.com
January 24
John Hooper Medal for Statistics Competition 2020
Deadline for teachers to register to johnhooper2020@cso.ie
For more information click here:
February 18 – 28
The NI Science Festival
offers a stimulating and wide range of events focusing on the wonders of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
This year's event will be mostly online and will present some of the best scientists from NI and beyond to discuss their work, cutting-edge research and what the future might hold.
To keep up to date with the latest information go to www.nisciencefestival.com
February 27 – March 5
STEPS Engineers Week is a week-long festival of nationwide activities celebrating the world of engineering in Ireland. For more information click here: https://www.engineersireland.ie/Schools/Engineers-Week/About-Engineers-Week
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DCBEAGLE Challenges -
BEYOND THE TEXTBOOK
MATHS WEEK IRELAND
December 2020
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The surreal calendar year is coming to an end and I am sure many educationalists cannot wait to have a short break.
Christmas Themed resources
The material available will help with end of term lessons and interesting holiday work for the pupils and their families.
Puzzles of the month – from H E Dudeney’s book Puzzles and Curious Problems (1967)
BUYING TURKEYS
A man bought a number of turkeys at a cost of £60.00, and after reserving fifteen of the birds he sold the remainder for £54.00, thus gaining 1Op a head by these. How many turkeys did he buy?
CHRISTMAS DOMINOES
Seven people engaged in play. Whenever a player won a game they doubled the money of each of the other players. That is, they gave each player just as much money as each had in their pocket. They played seven games and, strange to say, each won a game in turn in the order of their names, which began with the letters A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. When they had finished it was found that each person had exactly £1.28 in their pocket. How much had each person in their pocket before play?
24 Hour Maths Magic Show – click here
48 mathematicians from around the world were given half an hour to present a mathematical trick or two. There are two 12-hour clips and most of the “magic” is explained so the young mathematicians can perfect them for a future school magic show.
Maths Week England (9 – 14 November)
This was a phenomenal success with over 660 000 registrations. My small part was to host eight presentations for Year 5s and 6s and the response was overwhelming with nearly 7500 young mathematicians taking part. I hope to be back in Ireland next October to meet you and your young mathematicians.
Recreational reading ….
…. with a mathematical theme for both adults and children.
Adult’s novels
Flatland: A Romance Of Many Dimensions by Edwin A. Abbott (PDF download)
The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night Time by Mark Haddon
The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa
Children’s novels
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
A Girl Named Digit by Annabel Monaghan (teenager level)
Millions of Cats by Wanda Gág (11+ age group)
The Adventures of Penrose the Mathematical Cat by Theoni Pappas
Math Curse by Jon Scieszka
Films with maths themes
https://abakcus.com/the-best-mathematics-and-science-movies/
Puzzles of the month solutions
BUYING TURKEYS - The man bought 75 turkeys at 80¢ each, making $60.00. After retaining 15 he sold the remaining 60 at 90p each, making £54.00, as stated. He thus made a profit of 1Op each on the 60 birds he resold.
CHRISTMAS DOMINOES - A, B, C, D, E, F, and G, had respectively in their pockets before play the following sums: £4.49, £2.25, £1.13, 57p, 29p, 15p, and 8p.
Do have an enjoyable break and happy puzzling! See you in 2021!!
dcbeagleb@gmail.com www.dcbeagle.com @dcbeagle1
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We would like to wish all our partners and friends a safe and happy holiday, and best wishes for a Mathematical New Year of 2021
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This fantastic year would not have been possible
without support from our sponsors
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