Mechanics for AS Mathematics

Overview

A one-day event for teachers to develop their own subject knowledge and classroom practice. This professional development is suitable for any teachers wishing to develop their own subject knowledge and classroom practice in teaching mechanics for the new A level maths specification.

The course will suit teachers who have taught the M1 modules on the legacy A levels, and who want to upskill to mechanics in the new A levels. Delegates will be shown some practical demonstrations of mechanics principles, and there will be a lot of discussion on modelling.

You are encouraged to bring with you any questions that you have about mechanics, whatever the source, e.g. your own worries and concerns about teaching the subject, questions from text books, A-level questions etc. Towards the end of sessions there will be opportunities to have these questions addressed as well as during refreshment and lunch breaks.

Aims

• To introduce the fundamental ideas of mechanics and ground it in the pure mathematics side of the AS-level syllabus
• To address misconceptions and assumptions associated with the subject
• To be able to apply mechanics to tackling AS-level questions
• To explore and discuss some simple practical activities to take into the classroom

Who will benefit from attending?

New and experienced teachers to A-Level applied mathematics

Content

9.30 – Arrival and registration

10.00 – Newton’s Laws – statement of, misconceptions and assumptions

11.00 – Break

11.15 – The exciting life of particles, drawing force diagrams and solving dynamics questions in text books and AS Papers.

12.30 – Lunch

13.15 – Kinematics – deriving the kinematic equations working with scalars and with vectors, integrating with the pure mathematics content

14.15 - Break

14.30– More on the exciting life of particles this time from the perspective of kinematics as they appear in text books and AS papers

15.30 – Any Questions and feedback

16.00 – close and depart

Other Information

Presenter, Tom Roper spent 17 years teaching in schools and colleges before moving to Leeds University as a lecturer in mathematics education training teachers of mathematics. He was one of the first teachers to work with the Mechanics in Action Project writing classroom materials, co-authoring A-level mechanics textbooks and using the mechanics kit in school. He has written articles on the application of A-level mechanics in sport and has a strong interest in mathematics in other subjects on the curriculum.  He was President of The Mathematical Association 2017-18. Now retired he is still very much involved with mechanics and mathematics in general. This course is part of a two part series designed to improve the teaching of Mechanics; the A2 course is on Tuesday the 28th June, at the same location.

Eligibility

This is event is free for teachers from state funded schools. Applications from independent schools will be accepted subject to availability.

Participant feedback