The AMSP South regional team were delighted to hold their first joint student-teacher online conference at the end of June. The workshops were broadcast live into classrooms across the South region, with students and teachers working together to solve problems and discuss maths.
The first session focused on university admissions, with examples of questions from university admissions tests. There are wide range of careers that rely on maths skills, including important work in climate research, medical science and cyber security. If students are considering further study in maths, Why Study Mathematics? by Vicky Neale is recommended reading for students, parents and teachers.
The second workshop covered mathematical writing. For example, how would you improve this integer ‘proof’?
We discussed mathematical language and the need to form a ‘convincing narrative’ in your work. For example, is this a better explanation of the previous result?
The last section gave students and teachers the opportunity to solve some problems from the Liverpool Fun Maths Roadshow. For example:
There were multiple ways to solve the problems. There are easier and harder ways to solve the square/circle problem, depending on which lines you add to your diagram!
Overall, the event was well-received by staff and students, with lots of interesting questions and discussions being sparked by the workshops. We intend to run this event again in the autumn term, so please keep an eye on the regional South AMSP events page.
Thank you to all of the students, teachers and presenters who took part and made this event happen.