Keynote Address “Proof, Pizza and the Electric Guitar”  David Acheson, President of MA Author of 1089 and All That

NANAMIC SUMMER CONFERENCE:  JULY 2011

After a warm welcome by Sally Barton, we were all delighted by the lead speaker, David Acheson who surprised us with his mind reading mathematical tricks. Once caught by this excitement we were drawn into his mathematical world of wonderful theorems, beautiful proofs and great applications.

David began by cutting pizza into successive quarters to demonstrate how ¼ + 1/16 + 1/64 +... = 1/3. Taking a look at toy spider on a spring we glided effortlessly into wobbling slinky springs, calculus, fluid dynamics, catastrophe theory, vibrating a net curtain wire and the Indian rope trick. Just to let you know, no volunteers were injured in the demonstrations! We saw how Thales’ theorem helps with opening garage doors and explored different methods of proof in Malfatti’s problem. It was an enthralling and enlightening journey.

Viv Brown and Anne Fieldhouse gave us some advice on ideas on active learning when we did some paper folding. We discussed ways of making passive activities more active, depending on the tasks, and referred to the NCTEM departmental workshops and the mathematical moments in the FE Magazine in the NCTEM resources.

After lunch there was a choice of workshops. There were some excellent tips on how to incorporate functionality by Joan Ashley. Other attendees who had been teaching functional skills gave valuable insight and we were given lots of ideas and links for resources.

Workshop Reports for Conference 2011

“As a new Mathematics teacher in FE and having completed my first year in a full-time post, this was the first conference I had attended. The main attraction for me was the workshop focus on both Functional Skills and supporting learners with dyslexia. The morning sessions were valuable for me in terms of considering different teaching strategies and reflecting on the last 12 months and how I could further develop an active and ‘blended’ learning experience for my students. The workshop sessions proved most beneficial, primarily gaining a greater understanding of dyslexia, the key indicators and how to enhance the engagement with these learners. It has since prompted further training in supporting learners with dyslexia and other barriers to learning. Equally important in events like these, is the opportunity to meet with peers and hear of their experiences in this area and how they have approached and managed the learning process. Overall a worthwhile investment in my time and I look forward to future events from NANAMIC.”

Brian Robertson

North Nottinghamshire College

Read reports on      Frank Eade's     Functional Skills within mathematics       and   Use of models and images

Engaging level 3 learners   or FSMQs or Joan and John on Incorporating functionality into classroom practice