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With funding from the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), MEI produced a suite of resources to enrich mathematics education at Key Stages 4 and 5.
With funding from the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), MEI produced a suite of resources to enrich mathematics education at Key Stages 4 and 5, with an emphasis on applications of mathematics in engineering.
Background
The IET aims to encourage young people to consider careers in engineering. Its strategy is to engage with teachers through CPD and free teaching and learning resources, thereby gaining exposure with students. The IET had already developed a substantial set of teaching and learning resources – the Faraday resources. These had been well-used by science and design & technology teachers, and the IET wished to augment them with materials that would increase their use by maths teachers.
Funding
The IET commissioned MEI to propose a project within an agreed budget to develop new resources that are particularly relevant to the math curricula.
Activities
MEI proposed and then developed three different sets of resources: a series of twenty Key Stage 4 ‘starter’ problems with engineering contexts; an app game for exploring Key Stage 4 graph-related concepts; and five videos demonstrating A and AS level mechanics practical experiments. These were designed with the aim of supporting changes in the content and emphases of the new GCSE and A level Mathematics curricula.
Impact
The three new resources were completed at different times. In the year following the launch of the starter activities they were viewed over 2500 times. In the three months following the launch of the videos they were played over 500 times. Since the launch of the app it had over 5000 downloads.
Discover the resources and learn more
The resources were released to coincide with celebrations for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, but the party planning and cake decorating contexts for these problem-solving activities have enduring appeal.
The Maths Tea Party resources are suitable for 5 to 11 year olds. The aim is to position different coloured items into a square grid so that each row and column contains one of each. The purpose of this activity is to explore problem solving strategies including trial and improvement, pattern spotting and using known strategies to tackle a new problem.
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Institution of Engineering and Technology Resources (2017-18)
With funding from the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), MEI produced a suite of resources to enrich mathematics education at Key Stages 4 and 5.