The AMSP aims to increase participation in Core Maths, AS/A level Mathematics and Further Mathematics, and improve the teaching of these level 3 maths qualifications.
The programme prioritises support for state-funded schools and colleges in areas of low social mobility so that all students – whatever their ethnicity, gender or background – can have access to high quality teaching and choose their best post-16 maths pathway.
Mathematics is a discipline which has developed over centuries and across all peoples and cultures. Too often in our specification-driven teaching it is easy to miss the rich history behind some of the key ideas we use in school mathematics.
To celebrate Black History Month 2023 the AMSP have produced some new resources which give some insight into this global heritage. The resources are designed to be accessible to 11-16 students and come with a presentation, detailed teacher notes and a student handout.
Links to these resources are given below, together with links to Black History Month events, and some links to useful resources on other websites.
Teaching and learning activities
Other (non-AMSP) resources
- The useful data science article, “Why do Afro-Caribbean pupils underachieve in education?” is included in the Chalk Dust Magazine Archive of Black Mathematician Month.
- The UK Government Ethnity facts and figures website includes data on school pupil results at 5-7, 7-11, 11-16 and 16-18, as well as universities and where people go after education.
- UCAS 2020 Cycle Applications Data provides useful online tools to analyse universities entries data by many variables, including ethnicity.
- Nightingale (The Journal of the Data Visualisation Society) published “W. E. B. Du Bois’ staggering Data Visualizations are as powerful today as they were in 1900” that looks at the statistical charts produced by an all-black team of mathematicians just 37 years aftet the end of slavery in the US
- The Maths of Migration from PositiveNegatives
- Our Migration Story – The Making of Britain This is primarily a history resource, but could easily be adapted for a cross-curricular project as several of the activities require basic statistical analysis.
- World Migration Desmos Activity from the NY Times
- Guidance on Teaching Migration from the Migration Museum
- Hidden Figures (2016) is an excellent film to watch.
- Katherine Johnson: A Lifetime of STEM on Black History Month provides additional background.
- Landing back on Earth with Katherine Johnson Desmos activity by Nicole Cozens
- The Mathematics of Black Panther is an excellent activity included in the Chalk Dust Magazine Archive of Black Mathematician Month.
- There are many articles concerning the potential of Black Panther (2018) to raise aspirations towards STEM study, particularly for girls of colour – see, for example, “How ‘Black Panther’ Influences Stem Diversity Beyond Wakanda”.
Raising Aspirations
- Chalk Dust Magazine Archive of Black Mathematician Month includes several articles reflecting on the lives and significance of black mathematicians.
- The Black Heroes of Mathematics at Maths Careers.
- The IMA BAME Page has interviews with many black mathematicians, including Dr Nira Chamberlain, the current president of the IMA.
- Florence Adepoju on Equals Inspo.
- Ann-Marie Imafidon (CEO of Stemettes) on YouTube – Currently Stemettes are providing live online events, and recordings of past events, on their website.
- Abi Mohammed’s “List of Tech groups who cater or specifically includes African or Caribbean descent”.
- Lola Odelola’s Podcast “Lost in the Source: A Young Black Woman’s Journey through Tech”. Links are available on Black Girl Tech.