Kristin Coldwell, AC for Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes
June saw the long-anticipated Mirror Pillar enrichment event come to Norwich. Discussions about the event first took place back in the autumn term, so excitement was high! When the availability of venue, schools, Katie Steckles and the pillar itself finally came together, the resulting event did not disappoint.
Schools from around Norwich and further afield in Suffolk came together in the Forum in the centre of Norwich, where the main attraction was a 2 metre tall mirrored steel cylinder, 75cm in diameter. Students learned about the maths of reflection and also contributed to a large drawing of Leonardo da Vinci and some of his most well-known accomplishments, reflecting and distorting each section to take account of the reflective properties of the pillar. They also considered the career paths that students taking maths further might follow, and worked collaboratively on Liverpool Fun Maths Roadshow activities.
The day finished with a highly interactive and entertaining talk from Katie Steckles on the maths of paper. Throughout the day, students from the Sir Isaac Newton Sixth Form assisted with the activities around the pillar in particular.
Teacher comments:
- “The Mirror Pillar showed mathematics in a way that students will not have seen before.”
- “Simply superb/excellent organised event. Well-organised, engaging and relevant topics.”
Student comments:
- “Engaging, fun and enjoyable. Shows how exciting maths can be!”
- “It was interesting and explained different aspects of maths. It helped with deciding A level options.”