| Maths May Updates |  | When planning for the next academic year, don’t forget the dates for Maths Week 14-22 October. | Welcome to May Newsletter. We have reports on recent events and listing of coming events along with news and the ever popular Maths beyond the Textbook with Douglas Buchanan which features garden maths for the Summer. Keep up to date with us on our social media pages. 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 We’d love to hear from you, Eoin Gill | | In this issue: Maths Anxiety Seminar News Summer Courses Maths Eyes Awards Announced What’s On: Coming Events Atlas of Irish Mathematics Summer Maths - Maths Beyond the Textbook with Douglas Buchanan.
| | | | Developing Awareness of Maths Anxiety in Ireland - 12 June Cork | Presented By/Facilitated By:Sue Johnston-Wilder, Associate Professor, University of Warwick, UK Maria Ryan, Lecturer in Business, Mary Immaculate College, Ireland Telma Pará, Research Collaborator, Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCar), Brazil Flavia Santos, Lecturer/Assistant Professor, University College Dublin, Ireland
Seminar DescriptionMaths anxiety is a psychological phenomenon in which a person experiences fear, tension, or discomfort when faced with mathematical tasks or situations. It is a common problem among students in higher education, particularly in subjects that require a strong mathematical foundation such as physics, engineering, and economics. Maths anxiety can have a range of negative effects on a student's academic performance and well-being and can also have wider implications for a student's academic and career prospects. Join the Irish Branch of the Mathematical Resilience Network for a Maths Anxiety Awareness Day workshop!
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| | | Teacher’s Summer Courses |
The Maths Week Team will be contributing to a course based in Kilmacthomas using the Waterford Greenway as an outdoor learning resource. It will be a combination of presentations and practical activities on the Waterford Greenway. There will be input from 5 different tutors who will combine their expertise in biodiversity, history, geography, maths and outdoor education with the wonderful outdoor learning resources on the Greenway.
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|  | | | | Maths Eyes Award Winners
The Maths Week Ireland Have You Got Maths Eyes award ceremony took place today at the TUD (Technological University Dublin) Grangegorman Campus with Minister Norma Foley, Ciaran O’Sullivan, TUD vice-president and registrar Dr Mary Meaney and the Maths Week team |
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| Under 7 Winners
Ruairi Lynch, St. Mura's National School, Donegal Tom Lynch, Parteen National School, Clare Jack Reilly, St. Kilian's Junior National School, Dublin Zoe Townsend, Kilternan Church of Ireland National School, Dublin | Under 7 Overall Winner
Gina Farnan, St. Mura's National School, Donegal |
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| Under11 Winners
Aidan McNulty, Scoil Mhuire B&C, Donegal George Greenwood, St. Cremin's National School, Westmeath Conor Donohoe, The Downs National School, Westmeath Ollie and Evie Mc Connellogue, St. Brigid's National School, Donegal | Under 11 Overall Winner
Sorcha Coen, Scoil Mhuire B&C, Donegal
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| Under 14 Winners Joe Sheahan, Killaloe Boys National School, Clare James Kehoe, Alex Rudkovskij and Shane Rock, Father Cullen Memorial National School, Carlow Katie Kelly, Tarmon National School, Roscommon Cian Clarke, Sancta Maria College, Mayo Ailidh Swann, Scoil Mhuire B&C, Donegal | Under 14 Overall Winner
Tríona Nic Roibeóird, Maedhbh NicCórthaigh, Lara Ní Ruairc, Gaelcholáiste an Phiarsaigh, Dublin
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| Under 19 Winners Tom Murphy, Borris Vocational School, Carlow Brannan Jio, The King's Hospital School, Dublin Leah O'Flaherty, St Patrick's College, Cork Eleonora Jannelli, St Patrick's College, Cork | Under 19 Overall Winner
Debbie Odebunmi, Cnoc Mhuire Secondary School, Longford
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| Family and Community Winners 1st Year Maths Class, Patrician Presentation Secondary School, Tipperary
| Family and Community Overall Winner
Year 3 UC, St. Colmcille’s Primary School,Derry
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| Project Category Winners 4th Class École Euopéenne III Brussels Mary Immaculate College After School Project Limerick Lauren Powell The King’s Hospital School Dublin Niadh Reilly, Loreto Secondary School, Meath
Overall Project Category Winners Corpus Christi, Limerick
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Fergal O’Sullivan Visual Impact Award Tom Murphy, Borris Vocational School, Carlow
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| | What’s On | Queen’s University BelfastJune 7Girls in Maths and Physics
Girls in Maths and Physics is an event to inspire young female mathematicians and their teachers. Bringing together inspirational speakers, fun activities and real life working mathematicians and physicists, this event is targeted at girls aged 12-16 who have an interest in mathematics, physics and their applications. Registration for the 2023 event has now closed. If you would like your school to be added to the waitlist, please email the organisers. More details here | |
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| Cork Carnival of ScienceJune 10-11 Fitzgerald Park The Cork Carnival of Science is back again on 10-11 June for a weekend full of STEM activities and performances. Tens of thousands will come to this free fun event. The Maths Week Team will be back again with lots of great activities. For more see here
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| The Heaventree of Stars | 17 June 2023 18:30 – 20:30 (gates open at 18:00)DIAS Dunsink Observatory, Dunsink Lane, Castleknock, Dublin D15XR2R
“The Heaventree of Stars” is an annual Bloomsday celebration of astronomy, maths, and science in Ulysses and other works of James Joyce. | |
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| This beautiful summer evening of readings, discussions, and music will be held in the Meridian Room of Dunsink Observatory. This is a special year for the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies (DIAS) as we celebrate the 75th anniversary of the foundation of the School of Cosmic Physics and our operation of Dunsink. The event will include a self-guided tour of the Observatory. “The clock is worked by an electric wire from Dunsink. Must go out there …” Tickets will be available very soon through Eventbrite! Supported by DIAS, Maths Week Ireland, Joyceboro, and The James Joyce Centre. | Robert Boyle Summer School |  | Robert Boyle Summer SchoolWaterford and Lismore, June 22-25 2023 The Robert Boyle Summer School is for adults interested in ideas and conversation. This year’s theme will be Science Writing | Writing Science and the line up includes , bestselling authors Marianne Lee and Andrew Hughes, artist Nuala Clarke, Historians Prof Peter Bowler, Dr Ann-Maria Walsh and Prof Michael Hunter, Scientist Prof Jim Malone, journalist Brian Trench and Eoin Gill. There are also social events, museum visits and a garden party at Lismore Castle. | |
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| The Mathematics Education for the Future Project Call for abstracts: A Symposium on Innovative Teaching Practices Oxford University, UK, Aug 14-18, 2023 |  | The organisers welcome papers and workshops that deal with all aspects of innovation, especially those helping to make our subject more "alive", "realistic" and "accessible" to students. In line with the conference theme, they also welcome papers that show how prior work in the teaching and learning of mathematics has laid the foundation for future directions and innovations. They have an open policy to accept in the programme not only peer-refereed papers, but also workshops and contributions from teachers discussing their innovative work in the classroom. Possible topics on the theme Innovative Teaching Practices: teaching/learning online and innovative internet apps | self-assessment |group learning | group/class projects |using real life themes for integrated and interdisciplinary teaching | the jigsaw/expert method | Solidarity Assimilation Groups (SAG - Roberto Baldino Brazil) |Exceptional school systems that create and support innovation | | Irish Mathematical SocietyAnnual Scientific Meeting MACSI, University of Limerick 31 August - 1 September.Irish Mathematical Society aims to further Mathematics and Mathematical research in Ireland. Its membership is international, but it mainly represents mathematicians in Universities and other third level institutes in Ireland. Each year the society holds a scientific meeting in September (or late August). MACSI will host the 2023 Annual Scientific Meeting in the University of Limerick on Thursday 31st August and Friday 1st September 2023.
For further information please contact Dr. Romina Gaburro (romina.gaburro@ul.ie) . | |
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| Talking Maths in Public Newcastle UK Newcastle University and online Thursday 31st August - Saturday 2nd September.
TMiP is a biannual meeting for people who communicate maths in a variety of forms, from professional outreach providers to people who deliver maths enrichment activities alongside their work. It covers all forms of maths engagement, from stage presenting to book writing, hands-on activities to online shows, and policy advocacy to street performance. The event is a chance for maths communicators of all kinds to get together, share ideas and learn new skills in a friendly environment. | |
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| Maths Education in Ireland Conference | An all Island maths education conference with be taking place October 13th and 14th 2023 (start of Maths Week Ireland 2023) The Ninth Conference on Research in Mathematics Education in Ireland (MEI 9), Conceptualising Success in Mathematics Education, will be hosted by the Institute of Education, Dublin City University. | |
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| | Interesting Reading | Atlas of Irish MathematicsCork, Antrim, Roscommon and Waterford have all been recently added to the Maths Ireland blogs.
We now have covered almost counties in addition to Switzerland, Austria, Austrailia, Britain, US. Over 60 articles can be perused at the link below. | |
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| Coming Soon: Mathematicians interred in Mount Jerome Cemetery, Dublin. | |  | | DCBEAGLE CHALLENGES = BEYOND THE TEXTBOOK April 2023 Douglas Buchanan ~ dcbeagleb@gmail.com ~ www.dcbeagle.com ~ @dcbeagle1 |
Learn to understand maths, not memorise it
On my travels around the UK with my maths challenges there is always talk about “completing the curriculum programme” all for the narrow-mindedness of assessment. Professor Jo Boaler from Stanford Graduate School of Education says
“Students learn math best when they approach the subject as something they enjoy. Speed pressure, timed testing and blind memorization pose high hurdles in the pursuit of math. There is a common and damaging misconception in mathematics – the idea that strong math students are fast math students. While research shows that knowledge of math facts is important, the best way for students to know math facts is by using them regularly and developing understanding of numerical relations. Memorization, speed and test pressure can be damaging”.
Puzzle of the Month (a H E Dudeney infamous conundrum)
More fun with this puzzle because it is using imperial measurements.
DELIVERING THE MILK
A milkman one morning was driving to his dairy with two 10-gallon cans full of milk, when he was stopped by two countrywomen, who implored him to sell them a quart of milk each. Mrs. Green had a jug holding exactly 5 pints, and Mrs. Brown a jug holding exactly 4 pints, but the milkman had no measure whatever.
How did he manage to put an exact quart into each of the jugs? It was the second quart that gave him all the difficulty. But he contrived to do it in as few as nine transactions-and by a "transaction" we mean the pouring from a can into a jug, or from one jug to another, or from a jug back to the can. (note:1 gallon = 8 pints and 1 quart = 2 pints)
How did he do it?
Summer is here again
This period of the year is the start of life in the garden and what an ideal environment to teach maths. Great mathematical skills and concepts will develop without the constraints of terminology and structure. With these activities the pupils can develop new ideas to produce a personal booklet of mathematical activities for the future.
IN THE GARDEN
There are great ideas in a blog from Isabel Thomas from Oxford Owl Developing maths skills with “Impossible questions”: The garden is a great place to ask questions that seem silly, before using simple maths to work out sensible answers. For example, how many blades of grass on a lawn? How many aphids on a plant? How many leaves on a tree? How many stones in a flowerbed?
Finding the answers is all about sampling. Show your child how to select a small area where counting is possible. Measure the size of this area to work out many times you need to multiply your answer to scale it up. This is a great way to introduce and develop estimation skills.
Maths in the Garden This is a 17-page document from Leaf Education) giving many activities the young mathematicians can do (7 to 11 Year old). Simple activities is identifying shapes, counting and estimating, leading onto finding the circumference of a wheels. Steve Humble (Dr Maths) is a friend of mine and I know he champions this type of maths teaching. His greatest success is street maths.
10 Maths Skills to practise in the garden (Peanutbutterfishlessons) – more ideas for the 5 – 7 years old but some of the later exercises will accommodate older pupils.
SUMMER HOLIDAYS
Before we know it the summer holidays will be in the horizon but before that, planning is required to organise a holiday. I am sure not many pupils realise the amount of work is required by their families before they travel to their destinations.
Become a holiday planner – I saw this booklet at Light Hall School’s website. The booklet itemises all the expenses expected on a holiday and the pupils have a budget to keep to. Ideal for 9 – 12year olds. It could be ideal to introduce a basic spreadsheet.
Planning a holiday – this is a comprehensive lesson plan where you can take “pickings” to plan your own project. From skillsworkhop, the home of free adult literacy, numeracy and Functional Skills resources since 2001.
| Puzzle: DELIVERING THE MILK solution
The simplest way of showing the solution is as follows: At the top we have four vessels, in the second line their contents at the start, and in every subsequent line the contents after a transaction. (remember 1 gallon = 8 pints (pts) and 1 quart = 2 pints)
|  | Thus we first fill the 5-pint jug from one of the cans, then fill the 4-pint jug from the 5-pint, then empty the 4-pint back into the can, and so on. It can be followed quite easily this way. Note the ingenuity of the last two transactions-filling the 4-pint jug from the second can and then filling up the first can to the brim.
Isn’t maths exciting Beyond the Textbook!!!
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