Maths Week Newsletter October 2021

Maths Week Newsletter October 08/10/2021

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Welcome to the October Newsletter

We are 10 days out from Maths Week 2021, which takes place 16-24 October. We are delighted to have over 275,000 pupils registered from more than 1000 schools across the island. If you haven't already, register your school now and put your school on the Maths Week Map!

Oonagh
Oonagh Trehin,
STEM Engagement Coordinator,
Maths Week Ireland

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Hamilton Day
16 October

Hamilton Day commemorates a ground-breaking discovery by one of Ireland’s most famous scientists. On 16 October 1843, William Rowan Hamilton discovered quaternion algebra, while walking along the Royal Canal from Dunsink Observatory to the Royal Irish Academy (RIA). This was one of those very rare Eureka moments in the history of science. So excited was he by his discovery that he scratched his equation on the wall of Broome Bridge (Broombridge), Cabra.

Hamilton Lecture 2021: Glimpses into Hyperbolic geometry
Friday 15 October, 7pm, Online

Join us to watch Caroline Series, Emeritus Professor of Mathematics at the University of Warwick present the 2021 Hamilton Lecture. Following the lecture there will be a 30-minute audience Q&A session with the speaker chaired by Professor of Mathematics at Queen’s University Belfast, Martin Mathieu, MRIA.
Booking essential.

Hamilton Walk

Saturday 16 October, 2pm, Dunsink Observatory
In 2006 Maths Week was established

around "Hamilton Day", the 16 October.
In 1990 Prof Tony O'Farrell (Maynooth University) established the Hamilton Walk to celebrate Hamilton's discovery that is known to mathematicians all over the world. Booking essential, see here.

MathsCast Podcast

Colm O'Regan is busy preparing new podcast episodes to be released during Maths Week 2021. Take a listen back on previous episodes of the MathCast podcast here and keep an eye on the Maths Week website for the new 'sodes during Maths Week!

Puzzles in the Park

Our Puzzles in the Park campaign is back. Puzzles will be located in more than 16 parks and the walls of Derry. Keep an eye on our website for details and to find your nearest #PuzzlesinthePark!

Put your school on the map

Teachers are invited to register their class and/or school for Maths Week 2021(16-24 October).
All registered schools are in with a chance to win one of five Samsung Tablets or a set of Izak9 Cubes!

Complete the registration form HERE.

Once your school is registered, check out our range of resources and start planning your Maths Week activities for 2021 HERE.

You can get involved in Maths Week with:

Online events

Online activities and games

In-school activities

There is a suite of resources available on our website, and we have lots of options for every age so that you can choose what best suits you and your groups. Schools, teachers and families are also welcome to develop your own activities!

Maths Week TV Returns for 2021

MathsWeekTV will be live everyday 18-22 October with shows for primary schools at 10:10am and secondary schools at 11:11am. The shows will be approx 30 minutes presentation with some discussion afterwards.

Registration for all Maths Week TV events here.

MATHS WEEK SCHOOL EVENTS

Here is a selection of Maths Week events to give you a flavour of our 2021 line up!
To see more Maths Week events, visit the events section of the website.

Loving Maths FULLY BOOKED
Monday 11 to Wednesday 20 October, Online
Master storyteller, Steve Sherman, the chief imagination officer of Livingmaths.com has created a maths adventure designed specifically for pre-school children and 3-6 year olds. Take part in 5 exciting episodes, where children will be introduced to mathematical concepts and ideas through the use of stories and play.

Inspiring Ireland, Inspiring Students

Tuesday 12 October, 11.15am, online
Dr. Fidelma Healy Eames, Study and Careers, is delighted to announce that the next ‘Inspiring Ireland Inspiring Students’ interview, in collaboration with Education Support Centres Ireland (ESCI) will be with Dr. Aoibhinn Ní Shuilleabháin, Professor of Maths (UCD). This interview is suitable for primary and secondary students. Insights into the mathematical mind will be revealed and how to make maths more fun and accessible for all.
More details here and registration here.

Connected Classrooms
Wednesday 20 October, 11am, online
Join international edutainer Steve Sherman, Chief Imagination Officer of livingmaths.com, in this whacky and wild mathemagics show where students will be exposed to a range of interesting maths games and tricks to keep them entertained.
This show is for Junior & Senior Infant classes, and also Y 2 & 3 classes in Northern Ireland
Register your class here.

Virtual Juggling Workshop with Mr Math Weeney FULLY BOOKED
Monday 18 and Friday 22 October, 1.30pm, Online
The activity involves students trying the skills of juggling and using quadratic graphs to model the path of each ball. All that students will need to bring is 3 pairs of socks each to participate. Upon completing the workshop, students will be given a unique composite number and a certificate of participation. They will join the community of jugglers known as 'The Product of Primes'! If you would like to book a workshop with Mr Math Weeney in the future, email mrmathweeney@gmail.com.

Maths Week at Maynooth University – ‘Do Statisticians have Superpowers?’

Thursday 21 October, 10am, Online
Rafael de Andrade Moral has been working as an Assistant Professor of Statistics at Maynooth University since 2018. He is very interested in applying mathematical and statistical tools to solve real-world problems linked to Biology, Ecology, and Environmental Science, and he is also passionate about developing new ways to teach statistics using music.
The audience for this workshop is targeted towards students in TY, 5th and 6th year Maths classes. Booking is required for this event and only one booking is needed per class group. Book here.

Mathematical Mysteries?
Monday 18- Friday 22 October, online
The UCD School of Mathematics and Statistics is organising an interactive virtual event for Maths Week 2021 and would like to invite all 4th-6th year students to take part. Each day we will release a short video accompanied by a couple of questions for students to solve (15-20 minutes of class time each day). The answers of each group of students will be submitted electronically and the winners will be announced during the subsequent week (25-29 October).
For more details click here.

TY/Year 12 Scavenger Hunt
Thursday 21 October, online
Join the Maths week team for a fun, collaborative and energetic scavenger hunt that will have you competing with other schools. The challenges are designed to accommodate all abilities and creativity is highly recommended. All you need is 1 mobile phone for the class and someone that is designated as the director. You will need to download the Goose Chase App to take part. Instructions will be emailed to you just before the event commences.
To sign your class up for the Scavenger Hunt Register Here

MATHS WEEK ADULT EVENTS
To see more Maths Week events, visit the events section of our website.

8MEI Conference on Mathematics Education in Ireland

Friday 15 and Saturday 16 October, Online
The 8th conference on research in Mathematics Education in Ireland, MEI 8, is themed Accessing Mathematics: Inspiring engaged communities. The conference will be hosted by the Institute of Education, Dublin City University and is kindly supported by the Centre for Advancement of STEM Teaching and Learning (CASTeL).

Visit their site for more details and register here.

Parent & Child Workshop
Saturday 16 October, 10am, online
Join international educator Steve Sherman, Chief Imagination Officer of livingmaths.com, in this hands-on workshop where he will introduce you to a range of tools and tips to help make maths more exciting for your child. Bring your child along so you can see how these tips can be used to generate a love for maths. Register here.

Family Scavenger Hunt
Saturday 16 October, 1pm, online
Join the Maths week team for a fun, collaborative and energetic scavenger hunt that will have you competing with other families. The challenges are designed to accommodate all ages and abilities and creativity is highly recommended. All you need is a mobile phone and the Goose Chase App. Instructions will be emailed to you just before the event commences.
To sign up your family for the Scavenger Hunt Register Here!

Primary Teacher Workshop
Tuesday 19 October, 3.30pm, online

Join international educator Steve Sherman, Chief Imagination Officer of livingmaths.com, in this hands-on workshop where he will introduce you to a range of digital, online and physical ideas to implement in your classroom. It will be like a maths makeover!

Register here.

Using Magic in the Secondary Maths Classroom
Tuesday 19 October, online
Maths magic with Andrew Jeffrey, workshop for secondary school teachers. More details coming soon!

Wexford Education Centre STEM Club Celebrating Maths Week
Monday 18 October, 5pm, Online
A set of 6 workshops, exploring a range of resources that can be used to effectively develop active pupil learning in the area of STEM. They are intended to support teachers in facilitating learning in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math in the primary setting. Each webinar shares practical ideas and learning experiences to support teachers in school. The workshops coincide with national STEM weeks such as Maths Week, Science Week, Engineers Week, Code Week & Space Week.
To register for this event visit www.ecwexford.ie.

NALA Maths Week Webinars 2021
Monday 18- Friday 22 October

National Adult Literacy Agency have organised a range of webinars for Maths Week, covering a range of topics including Helping adult learners overcome mathematics anxiety, Developing conceptual understanding of key concepts in financial mathematics: Using practical real life data and examples, and much more. Webinars are free to attend.
Become a NALA member to stay informed of all their upcoming events.
Visit the Maths Week event page for registration details.

Celebrating the 10th year of the Maths Week
Maths Eyes Competition
Wednesday 20 October, 7.15pm-8pm, online
Since the Maths Eyes project started it has been helping people young and old to open their eyes to see the mathematics in their daily life. For the last 9 years Maths Eyes and Maths Week have run the very successful annual Maths Week Maths Eyes competition.
This session for parents and teachers will celebrate some of the many creative posters that have been submitted over the years and we hope that this can act as a springboard for teachers, parents and children to see how they can use their Maths Eyes in their everyday life whether they are shopping, walking, driving or at sports events, and inspire participants to enter this year’s 10^th annual Maths Week Maths Eyes competition!

FUN COMPETITIONS

Maths Week Olympiad

Following on from the success of 2020, The Maths Week 2021 Olympiad is an innovative event held in collaboration with Living Maths in South Africa. Its primary focus is to empower teachers and learners to find creative and concrete ways to help improve the standard of Maths in schools.
There are papers suitable from Senior Infants (Year 2) to 3rd Year (Year 11).
Learn more here and register your class here.

Have You Got Maths Eyes?

2021 will see the 10th annual Maths Week Maths Eyes competition take place. Details for this ever-popular competition will be available on the Maths Eyes website . There are categories for all ages and you can browse previous entries on their website.

Rearranging Equations Bookmark Competition
A new activity for Maths Week 2021 from Munster Technological University and IMTA Cork Branch. Rearranging equations is a vital skill in so many areas and yet it a topic that students often find difficult. This activity asks students to come up with ways of explaining the skill to their peers and create a bookmark. Amazing prizes to win. Entry details coming soon!

TargetBoards

During Maths Week, we will be running a daily Targetboards competition for primary schools. You can get in some practice as the Autumn term TargetBoards will continue for the next two Fridays here
It is an excellent way to get your pupils excited about arithmetic.

MATHS WEEK ACTIVITIES

We have lots of activities and ideas to help you to take part in Maths Week in school and at home!

Scoileanna lán-Gaeilge, bain úsáid as na hacmhainní atá ar fáil ar ár suíomh iderlíne chun foghlaim na matamaitice a spreagadh agus straitéisí fadhbréitigh a fhorbairt i luathfhoghlaimeoirí.

Maths at Home

We have developed a series of age appropriate resources to help support the learning of maths at home. You can catch up on all the activities we have released to date at here.

Maths Games
Visit www.mathsweek.ie for a range of maths-based games, including simultaneous simultaneous equations, shape matching, puzzles and much more!
Find maths games here.

Other Maths Fun
We also have lots of resources for hands-on, team-based maths activities that will inspire and motivate pupils, as well as advice on planning maths events, like a puzzle day, maths trail or maths maze.
Get planning here.

MATHS WEEK POSTERS 2021

The Maths Week 2021 posters have been sent to all schools on the island. There are posters showing the importance of maths in different careers, with separate "local heroes" for North and South of the Island. Unfortunately we are limited in how many posters we can send out, but you can access images on the website here and project them on your interactive board.

On our website, you can also find some additional resources for use alongside the posters.

Tá na póstaeir ar fáil anseo as Gaeilge freisin.

Follow us on social media for updates:
Facebook: @MathsWeek
Twitter: @mathsweek
Instagram: MathsIreland
LinkedIn: Maths Week Ireland
Get in touch, give feedback and feel free to share your ideas and resources.

Maths News

The Maths Map of Ireland

The Maths Map of Ireland is an exciting new project from Maths Week Ireland and the ESB. The project will see the creation of a Maths Map; to include historical places and people relevant to maths; maths trails and contemporary maths figures and places of interest.

If you are interested in contributing please email mathsweek@wit.ie with the subject MATHS MAP.

The Irish government has just launched plans to stimulate a national conversation on research and science.

Creating our Future aims to build on the success of research and science in our battle against Covid-19 and ask the public how we can shape a better Ireland through research and science.The conversation will begin in July and will run until November and will be overseen by an Advisory Forum, which was convened by Minister Simon Harris.

The programme will be managed by SFI and we would encourage people to get involved and in particular would urge people to voice the importance of mathematics and its applications.

See here for more details

DCBEAGLE Challenges
BEYOND THE TEXTBOOK – Maths Week Ireland

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

What excitement. We are in the month of Maths Week, Halloween and our half term break. How lucky we are!

Be creative!
For me, Maths Week brings out the creativity in ourselves and it forces us to think out of the box. I am aware many teachers are uncomfortable with their maths ability and so are nervous of presenting a topic or activity in case it goes wrong. Remember, the best way of learning is by “learning from our mistakes”. As an experienced facilitator I still make mistakes but just admit I got it wrong and then ask the young mathematicians if they can help solve it.

Introducing puzzling in your lessons and not just for Maths Week alleviates the pressure of formal teaching where the solutions are right or wrong. Many puzzles do not have a finite result. Adding some creativity to the lessons / activities stimulates the minds of the young mathematicians and adds enjoyment into their learning.

My challenges for 11-year olds consists of three paper and pencil activities – substituting letters with numbers to make the solution work; the number game, Countdown, where a number sentence with the given values results in the given total, and, 20 lateral thinking questions. This whole challenge could be done at a desk but I make them run to the front after each solution is found to get it marked. That kinaesthetic activity adds an exciting element to counter the mundane mathematical calculations.

Art activities
Mozaic Tiles – Nina Wu from the MIND Research Institution has written an article “Engaging Students In Math through the Art of Tiling”. There are some interesting activities covering most age groups, especially the early years. Click here.

Tiling patterns – more activities presented by STEM. Download the Teacher’s notes to help you choose activities you want to do. Click here.

Tessellations – activities described by NZ Maths. Activities are focussing on the 10+ age groups. Click here.

Tessellation and dotty paper – free resources from MathsSphere. Click here.

Time Is Up!
Maths Week is an ideal time to develop the skills of the pupils when working with time concepts.

Hickory Dickory – online activity for the younger age groups. Click here.

Real life situations involving time such as timetables, planning etc. Suitable for pupils up to the age of 11. The activities come from EasyTeaching. Click here.

Julia Robinson Mathematics Festival
This is a wonderful organisation and some of you may have met our friends from Julia Robinson in the past. There is a feast of ideas for all ages to enrich your maths teaching and to excite children about maths. Click here.

Maths Week 2021
Have a wonderful week and I hope I have given you some ideas. Sadly I will not be travelling to Ireland again but I will be hosting at least six ZOOM sessions.

Maths Week Ireland, Calmast, STEM Engagement Hub,

Cork Road Campus, Waterford Institute of Technology, Waterford

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