Year 12 Regular Problem Solving Classes

Overview

A series of maths problem-solving sessions designed to give students the confidence to apply for university courses that require or take into consideration achievement in an admissions test.

These regular classes offer students the opportunity to develop mathematical problem-solving skills through discussion and collaboration. They are designed to help students to develop strategies and confidence when tackling unfamiliar problems in maths and will help with preparations for taking advanced papers such as the MAT, TMUA and STEP examinations.

At the same time, the problems used in the course are fun and rewarding. Attending the sessions will greatly enrich students’ mathematical experience and help them to develop a better understanding of A level Mathematics.

Aims

• To develop initial strategies when dealing with maths problems
• To develop confidence when dealing with maths problems
• To provide some initial information about the problem solving involved in university admissions tests
• To provide a platform on which to build secure problem solving techniques
• To develop tenacity when dealing with maths problems

Who will benefit from attending?

The course is designed for any A level Mathematics students who have an enquiring mind and wish to develop their problem solving ability for their A level studies and beyond.

It is particularly useful for those students who wish to make the first steps in preparing for university admissions tests such as the MAT, TMUA and STEP examinations.

Content

The course covers a wide range of mathematical disciplines with problems. These can include

• Algebra: the difference between two squares and other identities
• Geometry: angles, triangle and circles
• Number: digits and divisibility
• Algebra: forming and solving equations
• Combinatorics: systematic counting
• Number: prime factorisation, fractions and irrationals
• Algebra: sequences and series
• Number: indices and logarithms
• Algebra: quadratics, cubics and other polynomials
• Geometry: trigonometry
• Combinatorics: further systematic counting and placement
• Geometry: coordinates and vectors
• Calculus: curve sketching and differentiation
• Calculus: integration
• Combinatorics: the binomial expansion

Materials and Equipment

While the classes are being held online, you will need access to suitable equipment. You are advised to use a headset or headphones with an inline microphone to provide the best sound quality and to prevent audio issues for other users. A laptop with a built-in webcam and microphone may be sufficient if you’re in a quiet area but please take the time to check this before the session. BBB is designed to be used on a variety of platforms but you will get the best experience via a desktop or laptop computer, running either Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox as the browser.

Note: Internet Explorer and Edge are not suitable currently.

Access to GeoGebra or desmos will also be useful.

Other Information

The following problems provide a taste of the sort of problem solving that will be encountered in the classes

Problem 1: How many primes greater than two can be found that are one less than a square number?

Problem 2: How many pairs of integers can you find that satisfy the equation \(x^2–y^2=45\)?

Study Schedule

Each session will focus on problem-solving on a particular theme, and is designed to boost student confidence with tackling unfamiliar question types in advanced papers such as STEP, MAT, TMUA and across A level.  Although online there will be opportunities for discussion and for collaborative work.

The course will be fully on-line, using the AMSP platform Big Blue Button.

The course is entirely FREE.

Students are strongly encouraged to attend all sessions, but will still benefit if able to attend the majority of sessions.

This is a 15 week course, on Thursdays from 21 January 2021.

The sessions are: 21, 28 January; 4, 11, 25 February; 4, 11, 18, 25 March; 1, 22, 29 April; 6, 13, 20 May.

NB There is a twilght teacher PD event on January 13 for staff wishing to know more about the Y12 and Y13 Problem Solving classes.  This will also cover an introduction to MAT, TMUA and STEP University admissions tests.