We all love to see our students experience the joy of solving a mathematical problem and note those fantastic light-bulb moments that mark their steps. In our desire to help students in this journey, the AMSP encourages participation in a wealth of problem-solving activities.
Many students are being inspired by Enrichment Days such as the one we held at the University of Sussex on 20 September. Those who attended enjoyed workshops focusing on different aspects of maths and intrigue, ranging from Jeff Trim acting the Mad Hatter in Alice’s wonderland, through to Derek Couzens looking at the maths behind various “magic tricks”, which the students tried to replicate, and Laurence O’Toole challenging students and teachers to decipher some coded messages.
Likewise, students have been inspired through smaller events that encourage teamwork such as Dragon Quizzes or Summer Snacks held in their own school. Why not speak to your Area Coordinator if you have never been involved with one of these?
National and local competitions are good opportunities for your students to engage in teamwork and develop their problem-solving techniques. Right now, there are Senior Team Maths Challenges (STMC) going on in various venues across the country for years 11-13; and AMSP have already started taking bookings for the Year 10 Maths Feasts which are due to take place in the Spring Term. Why not bring some of this team spirit into your own maths classrooms by using the resources from a previous year’s competition? Many schools do this to help them select a team for the next competition, or purely for the fun and to do something different.
These are free to download and use – have fun!
By Hazel Santineer