These are the answers to the most common questions about the Tenix Questacon Maths Squad.
If you have any other enquires, please contact exhibition staff. The contact details for the exhibition staff are listed at the end.
The Tenix Questacon Maths Squad is an outreach program of Questacon – The National Science and Technology Centre, which is based in Canberra. The Maths Squad brings interactive, hands-on mathematics to school children and the general public across Australia. As with other national programs of Questacon, the presenters show people how science and technology and in this case, mathematics, play an important role in people's everyday lives.
The Tenix Questacon Maths Squad includes 500 hands-on mathematical tasks. The puzzles and activities are fun and exciting for anyone aged eight to eighty. A one hour session includes time to solve puzzles and a series of mathematical demonstrations or see a special hour-long show.
During 2007 the Squad will be touring various regions across Australia:
We come to you (this is different to how we've operated in the past).
Nothing - it's free!
It's still free!
The Maths Squad workshops can cater for up to 30 students at a time. Multi-grade groups are fine. Our shows can accommodate up to 120 students.
The Maths Squad is for students in Year 3 and above. This includes high school groups.
The Maths Squad has catered for a variety of special needs students. These have included students who were blind, deaf, physically challenged, of a non-English speaking background and students from Special Schools. Aboriginal students have often responded particularly well to the hands-on activities.
If you would have some students with special needs, please advise the Exhibition Staff on the booking form.
The activities are all graded so that all students can be challenged, but still experience success in mathematics. Many lower-achieving students have enjoyed their experience and gone away with a much more positive attitude towards maths. Many teachers who have visited with lower-achieving students have been surprised by the enthusiasm and enjoyment their students have shown. Some have even discovered their students possessed skills they had never thought they had.
As well as school groups, the Maths Squad has presented to groups organised by parents, groups from the Double Helix club, Scouts and other organisations. These sessions are often held in the afternoon or evening, after school hours. For more details, please contact the Exhibition Coordinators.
Although there is no fixed touring schedule, it is typically 5 years or more before the Maths Squad can return to a particular area. It is a national program and Australia is a very large country. This will probably be your best chance to see this exhibition.
The Tenix Questacon Maths Squad and the Shell Questacon Science Circus are both outreach programs from Questacon – The National Science and Technology Centre. The Shell Questacon Science Circus covers many areas of science while the Maths Squad focus on mathematics.
The Tenix Questacon Maths Squad can be contacted in the following ways:
Tenix Questacon Maths Squad
Questacon
PO Box 5322
Kingston ACT 2604
Phone: 0428 486 382
Freecall: 1800 889 995
Freefax: 1800 641 171
e-mail: outreach@questacon.edu.au
