Explain this
Exploring Squares
How the publisher describes it:
“Virtual Image and NRICH have teamed up to produce this innovative CD-ROM built around a collection of 25 attractive mathematical posters on the theme of squares. The CD-ROM contains images and guidance to promote class discussion and develop investigative and problem-solving skills with a geometrical focus. The posters are ideal for use on the interactive whiteboard at the start of lessons and can be printed out for classroom display.”
Review by Diane Cochrane
In brief:
This is pleasant visual resource, with questions encouraging students to look carefully at the posters and explore the mathematical content.
“The activities are ideal to use as a starter or as a lead in to investigational opportunities.”
The introductory notes on the CD describe this as ‘...e-posters and learning support materials which can be used to focus on the theme of squares ...’ The pack contains a set of twenty-five posters accompanied by teachers’ notes and ideas for questions and prompts, along with links to the Numeracy Frameworks for Key Stages 2 and 3.
The posters and the activities include Islamic Squares, Tiling Squares, Overlapping Squares etc. but some have intriguing titles like Charles Dickens, Chomping and Square Legs. Certainly there is enough material of a high quality to interest pupils and make them think about a square in a completely different way.
This is pleasant visual resource, with questions encouraging students to look carefully at the posters and explore the mathematical content. Access is quick and easy, and with clear teacher notes to use in planning and delivery. The activities are ideal to use as a starter or as a lead in to investigational opportunities. The ability to hide the desktop is a nice touch, once you have found it, but one disadvantage of this is not being able to fill the screen with the picture. This is fine on a big screen, but if they are being used in a classroom it is important to keep in mind the size of each part of the posters when they are displayed. There is an option to print the images for the classroom and if you have access to a colour printer these can look very impressive and encourage students to continue to pose mathematical ideas surrounding them for weeks after the lesson. If one has the facility to print in A3 size the posters are even better!
Diane Cochrane • Mathematics consultant at an 11 - 16 secondary school in the West Midlands
Exploring Squares
Price: Single User Licence £75 + VAT
Site Licence £150 + VAT
Extended site licence £225 + VAT
Virtual Image
www.virtualimage.co.uk
