Maths day for more able pupils

On 2 July the Norwood Achievement Partnership, a small EAZ in Lambeth, organised a maths event for more able pupils. More than 60 pupils from years 5-8 attended, learning new skills and competing in mixed age-mixed school teams.

One of the tasks of the afternoon was borrowed from a Roamer case study. The pupils had to plan a route on a large numbered board then programme Roamer to follow the route. The teams were only allowed to use each number once and had to demonstrate their route within a fixed time period. Pupils were awarded the total value that the Roamer's journey travelled.

This task required the pupils to carry out a range of calculations as the Roamer travelled across mathematical symbols and numbers. Most teams demonstrated patience and perseverance and were able to solve problems that arose. There was immense satisfaction when a programmed journey was completed.

Teachers' tips.
The way that we awarded the scores in the Roamer task led to very uneven scores and some disgruntled teams. It would have been preferable to sequence the totals made from the task and award points according to the position in the line. We allowed an hour for the task and this was a bit tight - especially as many of the pupils had not used Roamer for several years.

Julia Gamlin, Partnership Consultant, Norwood Achievement Partnership.
jgamlin@norwood-secondary.lambeth.sch.uk

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