Questacon's outreach programs take the message of hands-on science and technology into schools and communities throughout Australia. The programs are an important contribution to the government's long-term strategy that all Australians should become aware of the essential part which science and technology play in the nation's development.
The Tenix Questacon Maths Squad brings Questacon's hands-on interactive approach to mathematics. Generating excitement and enthusiasm, the Maths Squad provides a stimulus for both students and teachers. This information sheet will help your class make the most of their visit.
What Will the Maths Squad Bring You?
With over 500 hands-on tasks to choose from, there are puzzles to stimulate interest in students from K to Year 12. The largely hand made collection helps to develop thinking and logic skills in a friendly, non-competitive environment.
The hands-on approach helps students visualise and understand problems and experiment with potential solution strategies. Demonstrating the breadth of mathematics, from simply being pencil and paper problem solving, the tasks present maths in a new light.
Students work in pairs and are encouraged to work through the tasks to a final solution. However, if experiencing great difficulty after 10-15 minutes, an easier task will be selected to rebuild confidence.
Tasks cover the major bands in the National Statement on Mathematics: Space, Measurement and Number. There are also many puzzles that challenge skills in logical thinking.
Before Your Visit
When the Tenix Questacon Maths Squad many students expect to be presented a lecture, a worksheet or an exam of some kind. In short, anything but what actually happens! Imagine their surprise when they are presented with brightly coloured puzzles and challenged to solve them!
One useful activity to try before your visit is to have your class look at the 'big picture' of mathematics. This takes the focus away from the specific topics currently being studied. A 'brainstorming' session where ideas called out (without initial discussion) are put up on the board can help with this.
Your class may come up with ideas like the ones below:
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Alternatively, students could fill out a sheet with their own ideas and these are then assembled onto the board. The handout could look like this:
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Draw links between the topics, point out that skills in one area can help in others and in other subjects and everyday life. These problem solving skills include looking for patterns, drawing a picture, working backwards, working with a partner or eliminating possibilities. Having a supply of strategies allows choice in ways to look at a problem and relieves the frustration of not knowing how or where to begin.
Discuss the advantage of trying puzzles (or any problem) with a strategy in mind, as opposed to simply trying to guess the answer. Compare doing a jigsaw with the pieces turned upside-down (guessing) to having the pictures facing up (matching patterns and shapes).
Following Up Your Visit
There are a variety of activities that you can do in the classroom to follow up on the puzzles and activities at the Tenix Questacon Maths Squad. There are also lots of resources available, such as puzzles sets, books, posters and software.
Have fun and good luck!