====================================================================== ATM eNews - 17 Mar 2006 ====================================================================== Know someone who might be interested in the e-News? Simply forward this e-News to them. Had this e-News forwarded to you? Then why not subscribe yourself? Email to enews@atm-online.org.uk with the word 'subscribe' in the subject box. ====================================================================== CONTENTS -------- * Embedding ICT in Mathematics Teaching * The Arsenal and local primary mathematics - write about it for MT... * What's that in old money? Old money books wanted... * Making Mathematics at Manchester for very able Year 12 students... * Motivating Y11 to pursue maths... * ICT Excellence Awards – Open for entries from UK schools * QCA questionnaire on A level mathematics - Reversing the decline... * Mathematics Education into the 21st Century - conferences... * Anything but square: from magic squares to Sudoku - +Plus Magazine... * KS1/2 Maths: Goodbye SATs, Hello Assessment - Teachers' TV... * NERF reaches the end of its planned lifespan... * Calculator exhibition - Museum of Computing, Swindon... * The National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics... * The 7th Junior Mathematical Congress... ====================================================================== Embedding ICT in Mathematics Teaching ------------------------------------- Commissioned by the DfES to develop a programme of work supported through Becta, the MA and the ATM have developed a programme of regional roadshows to enable key personnel in the area to meet and spend some time exploring materials. The aim is to consider how best how to drive the embedding ICT agenda in their region. DfES funding and support from partners allows us to offer this training free to delegates. This excerpt from the executive summary of Secondary National Strategy : An evaluation of the fifth year, highlights the need for such a programme: "The use of information and communication technology (ICT) is satisfactory in science, modern foreign languages (MFL) and design and technology but unsatisfactory in well over half the lessons in English, mathematics and other foundation subjects." The full report can be viewed at http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/publications/ Details of MA and ATM roadshows can be seen here: http://www.atm.org.uk/professional-services/dfes-roadshows.html ====================================================================== The Arsenal and local primary mathematics - write about it for MT... -------------------------------------------------------------------- We have recently received an email from the communications department of The Arsenal Football Club} to ask if we would be interested in looking at the work Arsenal Football Club does in local primary schools (after school) and in inner-city secondary schools during curriculum time, with pupils who need and use a different approach to learning numeracy skills. After a successful pilot project combining the power of football with numeracy and literacy skills in an after-school club, the DfES provided funding for full-time ‘Arsenal’ teachers to go into inner- city secondary schools to use a different approach to teaching literacy and mathematics. The 45-minute classroom sessions, using Club programmes, squad numbers, statistics etc. are followed by a 45- minute football coaching session with the track-suited teacher. The skills learnt in the soccer session are based on the Arsenal Soccer Schools coaching methods. The children are often invited to Highbury to participate in tournaments and watch matches to reward them for their hard work. Player visits and award ceremonies are also features of the initiative which help motivate the pupils and put the scheme into context. The initiative won a Business in the Community Big Tick last year for its ‘Investment in Education.’ They would be delighted to invite someone to a school to visit the project in action and talk further about the project. We think it might make an interesting MT article, especially after seeing the recent piece in the TES abut pupils being ‘turned off’ by the school curriculum. Is there anyone out there who would be willing and interested to make the visit and write it up for MT? Please {mailto: get in contact with Helen Williams: helenwilliams@atm.org.uk} an editor of Mathematics Teaching. ====================================================================== What's that in old money? Old money books wanted... --------------------------------------------------- Mary Pratt is in the process of planning work at KS2 for Carrie's War. She is looking for old maths books or where she could find worksheets for pre-decimal money to let students know what old money was. If you can help {mailto: you can contact her here: mary.pratt@btinternet.com. She is based in the East Midlands of England. ====================================================================== Making Mathematics at Manchester for very able Year 12 students... ------------------------------------------------------------------ "Mathematicians get a real buzz from actually creating mathematics. It doesn't really matter if it's an origianl result - or actually known to someone else but not to us. The important thing is we have made the problem our own." - Professor Bill Lionheart. MM@M (Making Mathematics at Manchester) is a two-day event for very able Year 12 Mathematics students organised by the School of Mathematics, The University of Manchester. This course will be held in Manchester on 10-11 Jul 2006 and the fully inclusive cost is £47.00. For further details, please refer to the School of Mathematics webpage: http://www.maths.man.ac.uk/SCL/mm@m.html and look under 'Forthcoming Events'. Schools and colleges should liaise with John Begg: J.Begg@manchester.ac.uk ====================================================================== Motivating Y11 to pursue maths... --------------------------------- Maths Inspiration is a new initiative aimed at motivating pupils at Year 11 and above to pursue maths and other critical thinking subjects to a higher level at school and beyond. We combine education with entertainment by presenting maths in an innovative way. The main features are: * Top speakers who can engage with a teenage audience * Stimulating talks on how maths is applied beyond the curriculum * A high level of interaction, including a question and answer session * Events held at inspirational venues * Ticket prices set at a level that ensures wide accessibility. More information here: http://www.mathsinspiration.com/ Past speakers have included Simon Singh, Rob Eastaway, Claire Ellis and Colin Wright. ====================================================================== ICT Excellence Awards – Open for entries from UK schools -------------------------------------------------------- Becta is pleased to announce that the ICT Excellence awards are now open for entries. This is a new award scheme for schools, which aims to identify and reward whole school excellence in ICT. The ICT Excellence Awards have been launched to reward schools across the UK approaching ICT in outstanding or innovative ways, benefiting their whole community, inside and outside the school building. By recognising whole-school best practice these awards are closely aligned with Becta's self-review framework for school and college improvement with ICT, which will be available from April 2006, and the new ICT Mark. While rewarding the school as a whole, there will be a focus within the new awards on those individuals leading change within the school and making an impact across it. There are seven awards categories in total, each being open to primary schools and secondary schools. One category is for the best whole school. The other six categories focus on assessment; curriculum; extending learning; inclusion; leadership and vision; and learning and teaching. Schools should complete an online application form to enter these awards. The deadline for entries is 13 April 2006. For more information see the website: http://www.becta.org.uk/excellenceawards Any queries, please email: excellenceawards@becta.org.uk or phone 024 7641 6994. ====================================================================== QCA questionnaire on A level mathematics - Reversing the decline... ------------------------------------------------------------------- Important QCA questionnaire on A level mathematics - Reversing the decline in participation. Until QCA began its evaluation of participation in GCE mathematics last year, crucial information on recruitment and retention had never been collected. Whilst national data indicates the number of students taking GCE mathematics examinations, it does not show how many students begin but do not complete the course, when they stop, or the reasons why. Last year QCA launched an on-line questionnaire designed to enable teachers and lecturers to provide this important information. They also gave their professional advice about the new GCE specification introduced in September 2004. Teaching staff who responded helped to create an informed picture of how the new specifications were working. This year’s questionnaire will make it possible to build on this information and find out whether the experiences of staff and students are changing but we can only do this with the help of mathematics teaching staff. The 2006 questionnaire will be available on-line from 28 February -28 March 2006 and we need as many schools and colleges as possible to complete it. The evidence teaching staff provide will inform a series of recommendations to the Secretary of State for Education and Skills and future policy developments in mathematics education. Teachers and lecturers can make a crucial contribution to the evaluation by completing the questionnaire online: http://www.qca.org.uk/gcemaths/ – easily and quickly. The interim findings from the first year of QCA’s evaluation can be viewed here: http://www.qca.org.uk/13730_14513.html ====================================================================== Mathematics Education into the 21st Century - conferences... ------------------------------------------------------------ The Mathematics Education into the 21st Century project has two conferences and a symposium already planned for the next three years, one or more of which we hope you will be able to attend! For ALL further conference details: arogerson@inetia.pl. Lebanon 2006 Marj Henningsen and Madeleine Long, in cooperation with our project, are planning an International Symposium to be held at the American University of Beirut, Lebanon with the theme of: "Policy and Practice in Mathematics and Science Teaching and Learning in the Elementary Grades" The proposed dates are: November 8th, 2006: Arrival and Welcome Reception November 9/10, 2006: International Symposium "Policy and Practice in Mathematics and Science Teaching and Learning in the Elementary Grades" After the Symposium participants are warmly welcomed to stay on for: November 11/12, 2006: Lebanese Mathematics Teachers National Conference (500+ teachers!) USA 2007 9th International Conference of The Mathematics Education into the 21st Century Project - September 7 - 13, 2007 - Charlotte, North Carolina, United States of America (Hilton Charlotte University Place) Preliminary Announcement and Call for Papers The Mathematics Education into the 21st Century Project has just completed its eighth successful international conference in Malaysia, following conferences in Egypt, Jordan, Poland, Australia, Sicily, Czech Republic and Poland. Our project was founded in 1986 and is dedicated to the planning, writing and disseminating of innovative ideas and materials in Mathematics and Statistics Education. The next conference is planned for September 7 - 13, 2007 in Charlotte, North Carolina. The chairman of the Local Organising Committee is Dr. David K. Pugalee, of the University of North Carolina Charlotte. The conference will open with an evening welcome reception on Friday, Sep 7th and finishes with lunch on Sep 13th. The title of the conference is "Mathematics Education In A Global Community". Papers are invited on all innovative aspects of mathematics education. There will be an additional social programme for accompanying persons. Our conferences are renowned for their friendly and productive working atmosphere. They are attended by innovative teachers and mathematics educators from all over the world, 25 countries were represented at our last conference for example. GERMANY 2008 Just to alert you to the dates of our 10th (anniversary) Project Conference, to be held in the historic and beautiful city of Dresden, Germany from Fri., 12.09.2008 to Thu., 18.09.2008 The theme of the conference will be Models in Developing Mathematics Education. The chairman of the Local Organising Committee will be Prof. Dr. Ludwig Paditz of the Dresden University of Applied Sciences. It is hoped to organise the conference in cooperation with his university and with the local Saxony Ministry of Education. ====================================================================== Anything but square: from magic squares to Sudoku - +Plus Magazine... --------------------------------------------------------------------- What is a magic square? There is an ancient Chinese legend that goes something like this. Some three thousand years ago, a great flood happened in China. In order to calm the vexed river god, the people made an offering to the river Lo, but he could not be appeased. Each time they made an offering, a turtle would appear from the river. One day a boy noticed marks on the back of the turtle that seemed to represent the numbers 1 to 9. The numbers were arranged in such a way that each line added up to 15. Hence the people understood that their offering was not the right amount. +Plus Magazine website: http://www.plus.maths.org/issue38/features/aiden/index.html ====================================================================== KS1/2 Maths: Goodbye SATs, Hello Assessment - Teachers' TV... ------------------------------------------------------------- Aston Tower, Birmingham, serves the inner city. The year 2 teachers are anxious about how they can accurately build up a picture of children's skills at the end of KS1. They have worked with Maths consultant Val Worcester to design active assessment opportunities. In ‘Money’, Vanessa works with a small group on an activity inspired by 'The Great Pet Sale'. They use real coins to pay for the pets, adding the coin values together in pairs. In calculation, a group is throwing beanbags at printed numbers. They add the numbers mentally or with the support of resources they must choose for themselves. We see how teachers assess progress. Monday 24th April 19:30 Teachers’ TV broadcasts 24 hours a day, 365 days a year on digital satellite (Sky 880), ntl (803) Telewest (240), HomeChoice (845), KIT (70) and overnight for recording on Freeview (88). Programmes can also be downloaded for free from Teachers’ TV website: http://www.teachers.tv ====================================================================== NERF reaches the end of its planned lifespan... ----------------------------------------------- On 31st March NERF reaches the end of its planned lifespan! It was set up in 1999 by David Blunkett and has seen some very lively years of debate and action on research and its use. A final report on NERF will be available soon at: http://www.nerf-uk.org/ Many people who have been involved over the years are keen to keep up the momentum. Several projects are in full flow (like the development of the research portal 'NEEP') and several networks are active (like those looking at Development and Research). These will continue and Andrew Morris, NERF director, will continue his coordinating role in much of this activity thanks to funding from the R&D charity associated with CfBT (Council for British Teachers) - for more information see http://www.cfbt.com/. This will enable this Newsletter to be sustained. ====================================================================== Calculator exhibition - Museum of Computing, Swindon... ------------------------------------------------------- The launch of the Museum's latest exhibition charting the development for calculators from the time of the abacus, will be celebrated with drinks on the 6th March from 18.30 to 21.00. We are pleased to have guest of honour, Sir Clive Sinclair, attending, and also guest speaker Dr Tilly Blyth, Curator of Computing and Information at the Science Museum in London. A calculator exhibition charting the technological progress of relevant machines from the abacus to the microchip and showing their impact on the way we work. Museum of Computing website: http://www.museum-of-computing.org.uk ====================================================================== The National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics... -------------------------------------------------------------------- The National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics (NCETM) was first advocated in the Smith Report (2003), and much has been discussed about its potential impact to improve the teaching and learning of mathematics through improved CPD (continuing professional development), especially by Advisory Committee for Mathematics Education (ACME). The National Centre is now a reality, and will be formally launched in June 2006. An interim website has been set up so that in the months leading up to the launch, all mathematics teachers and lecturers, as well as all stakeholder organisations, are kept informed, and can participate and collaborate in the development of the Centre. "The National Centre will provide a much-needed infrastructure to establish programmes of professional development for teachers of mathematics. Its starting point will be developing knowledge of the subject and how it is taught in a way that is coordinated across all age groups and in collaboration with existing providers and initiatives." - Celia Hoyles, Chief Adviser for Mathematics More info: http://www.ncetm.org.uk/ ====================================================================== The 7th Junior Mathematical Congress... --------------------------------------- JMC-04 is aimed at students aged 15 through 25 years, with an emphasis on those in the range 15 through 20 years old. During one week in Tg-Mures, Romania the visiting students from all over Europe will be attending seminars and lectures given mainly by the participants themselves, and to a minor part also by invited guests. The series of Junior Mathematical Congresses started in 1992, in Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie in Paris for three days. 290 eager students participated, 60 lectured themselves, 30 where guests from 10 different countries other than France. It was initiated as a youth activity to accompany the 1st European Congress of Mathematics, which was held simultaneously in Paris. Website: http://www.uni-miskolc.hu/matjun7/ Email: matkp@uni-miskolc.hu} ====================================================================== To unsubscribe from this e-News email: enews@atm-online.org.uk with the word 'remove' in the subject box of the email (NOT in the message area but in the SUBJECT box please. ====================================================================== If you have any problems email direct to the Web Editor: webeditor@atm-online.org.uk Association of Teachers of Mathematics 7 Prime Industrial Park Shaftesbury Street Derby DE23 8YB +44 (0) 1332 346599 ====================================================================== The ATM eNews is handled by Annery Kiln Web Design and Management: www.annerykiln.co.uk - Delivering Your Information Effectively +44 (0) 1237 477605 ======================================================================