Further Mathematics Support Programme

Widening participation in Mathematics and supporting student progression NCETM conference, Nottingham, Dec 2009 Let Maths take you Further…

About the Further Mathematics Support Programme  The Further Mathematics Support Programme (FMSP) follows on from the Further Mathematics Network (FMN)  It is managed by the same team of people at MEI who set up and ran the FMN and who are working in partnership with the NCETM

What the FMN achieved

Aims of the FMSP  The FMSP has three strands:  Student Support - helping to provide access to Further Mathematics tuition for all students;  Teachers' Professional Development - enabling more teachers to teach Further Mathematics and level 3 mathematics within diplomas;  Communications and Marketing - promoting mathematics and raising awareness of the benefits of studying mathematics beyond GCSE.

FMSP Area Coordinators  Their role is to promote and support the teaching and learning of FM and level 3 mathematics within diplomas by  Helping schools and colleges to teach them ‘in-house’  Facilitating consortium working between neighbouring schools and colleges  Organising CPD  Arranging external tuition for FM when tuition cannot be arranged by other means

Where is it leading?  More universities feel able to encourage students to take Further Maths, maintaining the increases.  More students will be well-prepared to study maths-related subjects at university.  More students will be inspired to choose such subjects.

How AS/A level Further Mathematics is viewed by the HE sector  Until recently the higher education sector had effectively stopped encouraging Further Mathematics.  Now we see change in culture with HE beginning once more to show support for Further Mathematics

Student Support – Online Resources Register with the FMSP to get free access to extensive online resources (by registering) for AS/A level Mathematics and Further Mathematics units and support for GCSE.FMSP

Engaging and promoting KS4  Enrichment events in the FMSP regions

Motivating Students to study Maths and Further Maths

What’s the point in Maths? Have you ever been in a maths lesson and asked any of the following questions?  Why do we study simultaneous equations? 

What’s the point in Maths? Have you ever been in a maths lesson and asked any of the following questions?   Why do we study angles and triangles? 

What’s the point in Maths? Have you ever been in a maths lesson and asked any of the following questions?   What’s algebra for? 

What’s the point in Maths? Have you ever been in a maths lesson and asked any of the following questions?   What are vectors for?

What’s the point in Maths? Have you ever been in a maths lesson and asked any of the following questions?  Why do we study simultaneous equations?  Why do we study angles and triangles?  What’s algebra for?  What are vectors for?

Google - The $20 Billion Simultaneous Equations

Founders of Google Larry Page Sergey Brin Students at Stanford University, California whose search engine at the time was nicknamed ‘Backrub’.

Lara Croft and the Scalar Triple Product

What goes into a game?  Graphics ► shape of the landscape ► adding the texture ► lighting the scene ► moving the graphics and working out what you should see  Getting the physics right  Collision detection  Artificial intelligence ALL OF THESE USE HIGH LEVEL MATHEMATICS……

Resources for promoting Maths and FurtherMaths AS/A-level Student Area of Further Mathematics Support Programme Website This contains lots of enrichment problems, presentations and worksheets about maths in the real world, podcasts, posters.  GCSE extension materials (example)GCSE extension materialsexample  Additional maths resources (subscription)

Support for A level and Further Maths  Online resources for all further pure and applied options can be accessed by registering with the FMSP.  Core modules and access to the student record system by subscription

The resources  Section overview  Notes and examples  Crucial points  Multiple choice tests  Interactive resources  Topic assessment  online resources online resources

Promoting A level Mathematics and Further Mathematics Online Revision Sessions Places on these are free if you are registered with the Further Mathematics Support Programme. You should have already received details of the sessions for the January modules.

STEP Online Course DateTopic Session 1Dividing by zero Session 2Inequalities and proof by induction Session 3Systematic search or proof by exhaustion Session 4Necessary and sufficient conditions Session 5Proof by contradiction and irrational numbers Session 6Curve sketching Session 7General solutions of trigonometric equations Session 8Differential equations Session 9Mechanics Session 10Probability

AEA Online Course DateTopic Session 1Constructing a beautiful, coherent, concise argument: the proper use of notation. Session 2Using Series imaginatively Session 3Solving trig equations without getting too many or too few solutions. Session 4Co-ordinate Geometry: a use for GCSE Circle Theorems at last. Session 5Polynomials and Graphical Transformations Session 6Functions: how to make the simple look difficult. Session 7Vectors Session 8Differentiation Techniques Session 9Integration Techniques Session 10Unusual Questions: are they really hard?

Promoting Maths and Further Maths AS/A-level Maths Inspiration Inspiring maths lectures for 15 to 17 year olds. These will work with students at all levels of ability. The lectures are designed to have a good blend of mathematics and entertainment.

Promoting Maths and Further Maths AS/A-level The Millenium Maths Project Based at Cambridge University Includes NRICH and Plus, as well as school visits, lectures and video conferencing.

Promoting Maths and Further Maths AS/A-level Royal Institution Most famous for its Christmas Lectures the Royal Institution also runs masterclasses all over the country.

Promoting Maths and Further Maths AS/A-level STEMNET Sessions about how mathematics is used in the real world. Good for students who want to see real outcomes from mathematics.

Promoting Maths and Further Maths AS/A-level United Kingdom Mathematics Trust Very high quality mathematics competitions and challenges with fun and innovative questions for students at all levels.

Promoting Maths and Further Maths AS/A-level Fun Maths Roadshow Brilliant mathematical problem-solving events for students at all levels.

Support and Professional Development for teachers  All School/College Mathematics Departments (including those that already offer Further Mathematics) can access support through their local Further Mathematics Support Programme Area Coordinator  Free access to expert advice on any issues associated with teaching and learning AS/A level Mathematics and Further Mathematics; progression to university courses in Sciences, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics subjects (STEM); Enrichment at GCSE level  Free access to extensive online resources (by registering) for AS/A level Mathematics and Further Mathematics units

Support and Professional Development FMSP/MEI offer a full range of professional development courses for A-level Mathematics and Further Mathematics including  one day events on pure, decision, mechanics, statistics in the FMSP regions  long courses for both Maths (TAM) and Further Maths (TFM)

Teaching Further Mathematics  Teaching Further Mathematics (TFM) is a 14-month part- time course which has been developed by MEI and the FMN  It is aimed at giving A level Mathematics teachers the subject knowledge and confidence to extend their teaching to FM  TFM is now entering its 4 th year with a cohort of 40+  In 2010 for the first time it will be run in conjunction with the University of Warwick as a Post Graduate Certificate course attracting masters level accreditation

Live on-line Professional Development  A range of courses to enable teachers to teach A level Mathematics, A level Further Mathematics and Diploma Mathematics with confidence.  A modern approach to professional development; rather than attending a one or two day course, delegates meet weekly for live, interactive online sessions with a tutor and a small group of teachers.

Live, Online Professional Development  Short courses, often covering particular modules, be provided as Live Online Professional Development (LOPD)  Typically each course consists of 5 to 10 hours of tuition in 90 minute twilight sessions  Teachers are not required to travel and so their classes are not disrupted  We anticipate that these courses will become more popular (and necessary) with the introduction of ‘rarely cover’

LOPD  We currently use Elluminate, a well established web-based package which is easy to use and has features that make it ideal for live mathematics tutoring.  It allows a tutor and delegates to communicate live on-line using audio, handwriting on a shared virtual whiteboard and instant messaging via the internet.

Supporting Diplomas  There are resources already available to support the mathematics content of the engineering diploma  We are developing contextual examples to accompany this.  Short LOPD courses will start in February 2010  One-day face-to-face courses will be made available, according to demand  A key feature will be advice on integrating the mathematics with contexts that arise in the main content of the diploma

Finally some maths!