Maths Week Newsletter November 08/11/22

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Welcome to the November newsletter!

With Maths Week over, and Midterm finished, the school year is flying by! This month we have some information about Maths Week events that are still running as well as our annual feedback survey to improve Maths Week next year.

In the meantime, keep up to date with us on our social media pages, especially our new TikTok page! Click the buttons below to follow our pages and the content we create for you!

If you have any questions be sure sure to drop us an email at mathsweek.wd@setu.ie

Thanks,

Spotlight

Win one of three Samsung Tablets

Help us to make Maths Week better by taking our short survey, and be in with the chance of winning one of three Samsung Galaxy Tablets.

Take Survey

Have you got Maths Eyes?

October 19 - November 30

The Maths Week Maths Eyes competition is still running until the 30th of November.

Create a Maths Eyes style poster using a photograph taken in your local area and create an accompanying tagline highlighting the mathematics that you have seen in the photo using your maths eyes.

Posters can be submitted in the schools category or in the project category.

In collaboration with TU Dublin and the National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education and Dublin West Education Centre .

Learn More

Tell Us About Your Activities!

During Maths Week we noticed you tagged us in some of your wonderful activities which took place throughout the festival. As part of our yearlong campaign we are developing a new social media segment called ‘Teacher’s Corner’, where we are hoping to highlight the fantastic range of activities and creativity which can be used when teaching Maths in the classroom.

With your permission we would love to highlight the activity you shared with us by including it within this segment on our social media platforms. Would you like to take part?

If you would like, you can also share any additional photos, advice or feedback you may have that would help other educators in hosting a similar activity, However this is not necessary.

To be involved simply email us at the link below.

Email Us

What’s On

Target Boards

Over 500 classes played the Maths Week 2022 Targetboards. Because it is so popular, a new run of Target Boards will start this Friday!

Target Boards are a great fun way for your class to practice arithmetic during Maths Week. Pupils won’t even realise they are working! There is a senior section for upper primary schools and a junior section for younger pupils.

Learn More

Science Week

Though Maths Week is over, there are more STEM events coming. In the south of Ireland Science week begins this week and runs through next week. If you are in the North, there may be in-person or online events you can book into, but NI Science Festival is not far off with lots of great events coming in February.

As a society, we have shown our resilience and ability to withstand adversity, bouncing back from difficult challenges we face in our daily lives and as a collective. Science is an important part of a shared better future – helping us to understand our world, inspiring new opportunities, and providing potential solutions. From the infinite variety of our amazing planet and the adaptability of nature, to our ability to face the unexpected, the possibilities are endless. We have many choices to make and more challenges to face, and we are all part of the conversation about the role that science can play.

Learn More

Science Festivals in the South East

The same team that brought you Maths Week are running three festivals, Wexford Science Festival, Kilkenny Science Festival, and South East Science Festival. These festivals are packed full of events and activities for schools, family, and adults!

Waterford, South Tipperary and Carlow

Kilkenny

Wexford

Learn More

Coming Soon: Northern Ireland Science Festival

February 16 - 26

The festival offers a stimulating and wide range of events focusing on the wonders of science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics. These events present some of the best scientists from NI and beyond to discuss their work, cutting-edge research and what the future might hold.

Learn More

Maths Week England 14-18 November

Good luck to all involved in the 4th Maths Week England.

Learn More

Atlas of Irish Mathematics

Louth

The 31st in the bi-monthly regional Irish focused blog highlights mathematical people associated with County Louth.

Read about Louth-born mathematicians and those originally from elsewhere who have taught at notable institutions in Louth, including Dundalk Grammar School and Dundalk RTC (which dates from 1971 and became Dundalk Institute of Technology, aka DKIT, in 1998).

We now have covered almost counties and they can be seen at www.mathsireland.ie

Learn More

DCBEAGLE CHALLENGES = BEYOND THE TEXTBOOK – MATHS WEEK IRELAND

November 2022

Douglas Buchanan ~ dcbeagleb@gmail.com ~ www.dcbeagle.com ~ @dcbeagle1

Maths Week Ireland 2022 – a great success

It was so good to be able to travel from England to take part in the annual maths festival covering both countries. Dublin – Letterkenny – Derry – Feeny – Donaghmore – Cavan – Dublin tour allowed me to meet so many young mathematicians and their tutors. The aim of the Maths Week is to show that maths lessons are not just sums from a textbook and a series of assessments.

My favourite activity in my presentation is getting 10-year-olds, and above, to visualise and then draw an angle of 225o. Standing and rotating, always clockwise, with a directional compass on the screen. Naturally the surprises of cutting Mobius strips brings the presentations to a close.

Is puzzling maths?

Following on from the above text I have found an interesting website which makes interesting and formative reading:

“When we think of math, we often think of numbers. When are asked, “where is there math in everyday life?”, we mull over simple tasks that involve using numbers in some way: spending money, telling time, or measuring ingredients in cooking. But what about fun and engaging activities - like strategic games or logic puzzles - that have no numbers in them. Does math have anything to do them? If we rethink the way we perceive mathematics, it becomes immediately clear – absolutely.

Mathematics isn’t just about numbers – rather, it’s a language. The numbers are only part of the tool set we use to communicate absolute ideas of our world. Like learning vocabulary words of our verbal language, only learning how to spell and define words without learning how to creatively use them in communication does not enhance our ability to fully comprehend their potential power, nor our ability to share ideas with others.

Puzzles allow students to use combine their hands and minds to explore the challenges. There are no F’s for failure or A’s for success; only more opportunities to try new strategies towards solving the puzzle. Students engaging in puzzles can explore for themselves about what information matters, how to break the solution down into smaller steps, and how to reason in favor of certain strategies over others. These skills are mathematical skills.

Puzzles have a myriad of other benefits as well for young, growing minds. Not only do puzzles allow us to become more patient and effective problem solvers, but puzzles also support the development of:

Spatial Reasoning
Hand-eye Coordination
Creative and Divergent Thinking”

The extracts are from the website Durland Alternatives Library

Maths Engaged

In this website, sister of the one above, there are a variety activities involve playing cards (9 of them), various puzzles using manipulatives, single player logic puzzles and multiply player logic activities.

Importantly these activities can be done at home. Formal maths homework is a disaster – “…… well done, Mum! You got them all right …..” However, the activities described in this website would be most effective if all the family are involved.

Happy Christmas – not quite!

Maths Christmas Activities Booklet – many puzzles and activities. It has come from TES Resources where you have to register but there is no cost involved.

Christmas resources – a wide range of activities for 7 – 14 year olds from stem.org.uk. Some interesting and novel approaches

I have found several websites offering maths activities related to the Christmas Theme. These can be found at the bottom of the Maths Links page of my website.

Final words

The worst comment a presenter of mathematic activities receives from a member of the audience, “….. will this presentation help me pass my next assignment?” Maths is more than tests!!

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mathsweek.wd@setu.ie

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