Tuesday, 12 February 2013

POLE POSITION FOR PUPILS

Year 6 pupils at St Polycarp’s RC Primary School in Farnham discovered a winning formula for applying their maths skills.  Using a software program developed by CSH (Cambridgeshire Software House), the SATRO team worked with 16 teams to help them calibrate a virtual racing car in preparation for a competitive Grand Prix style race.  The children had to use a range of mathematical skills - measuring angles, multiplication, percentages, calculation of distance and speed – to create optimum performance for their car.  Test runs were carried out on laptops before the Grand Finale race took place in a highly competitive environment.

By the end of the day the children were very excited about maths:
I learned a lot about maths from my team.”  “I learnt that even in a sport they need maths to work things out.” “It has made me feel more confident as I managed to solve problems which I wouldn’t of done before.” “I used to think that maths was dull and boring but today I found that maths could be exciting and fun.”
The teachers agreed that this workshop provided excellent opportunities for maths, ICT and teamwork (PHSE) – “The activity helped the children apply their skills to a real-life event.”

We extend our thanks to Cllr Pat Frost, who part funded this event.

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