Putting the M in STEM

Exploring Connecting
Teachers Resources
Deployable
structures
Mathematics
learning and
teaching resources
A Presentation for Bath Spa University
Given by Garrod Musto. South West Regional Coordinator
Exploring Connecting Teachers Resources
To introduce the Deployable structures learning and teaching
resource to teachers.
To highlight the content, resources and activities contained
within the Deployable structures resource box.
To provide teachers with a taste of a few of the activities in
the Deployable structures resource box.
Purpose
To help students link topics in the
mathematics curriculum with real world
applications.
Key stage
Aimed primarily at Year 6 and Year 7, but
could be used with other students.
Context
Deployable structures, which open up
(deploy) into something of use.
Deployable structures videos
Rolling bridge – Heatherwick Studio
A novel deployable structure – Oxford Space Systems
What’s in the box
1
2
Box contents
1. Resource booklets
2. Engineer and engineering
6
case study sheets
3. Seeds (Mimosa pudica ‘Sensitive Plant’ – a natural
deployable structure)
4. Mosquito net
5. Coffee stirrers (see Group
umbrella)
6. Construct-o-straw
connectors
5
7. Construct-o-straws
8. Single sheet photocopy
pack
8
3
7
4
Publications - free to download
www.raeng.org.uk/education/schools/teaching-and-learning-resources/curriculum-resources
Deployable structures
Teacher’s guide
Curriculum
mapping
Activity
timings
Provides information
about the resources
and the mathematics
topics covered.
Resources
in the box
Resources
required
Delving into the Mosquito nets resource
Topics
• Nets, area and volume
• Scale drawing and scale
factors
• Problem solving
• Converting between units
Activities
• Discussion
• Making 3D nets and
structures
• Designing
• Arithmetic
Flowers: natural deployable structures
Topics
• Density
• Nets of 3D shapes
• Transformation of shapes
• Symmetry
Content
• An introduction to familiar
deployable structures
• Discursive opportunities
• Suggestions for hands-on
activities
• Limited arithmetic
Solar panels
Topics
• Area
• Composite shapes
• Complicated area calculations
• Solving problems
Content
• Builds on Maths beneath my
feet resource, which
investigates area using
flooring as a context
• Provides some stretch and
challenge
Solar panels
Page 2
Idea of adding solar
panels to a vehicle
introduced.
Page 3
Increasingly
complicated area
calculations.
Page 4
Students challenged to
calculate the area of
the solar panel required
to power a small car.
Pages 5 & 6
The notes for
teachers provides a
solution.
Time given to review the Deployable
structures resources
Discussion
How might this resource be used at your
school?
How might mathematics teachers use the
resource?
What opportunities does the resource
provide you with working alongside
science, D&T, computing and ICT teachers
Feedback
Share your thoughts and ideas with the
rest of the group.
Engaging with
Feeder Schools and
inspiring your students
CHALLENGE
•Make a model of a bob skeleton sled
•See how far you can launch a Barbie!
•Present an answer to the question:
Athlete or Machine?
Which is more important in the
sport of bob skeleton?
The students
then test their
designs.
Garrod Musto
South West Region
Feedback from Oldfield School
Bath
The task allowed students to 'get stuck in' and 'give it a go'
themselves. Then automatically start to plan, test, evaluate and
develop designs and ideas.
The tasks were rich, and
prompting students to
draw and describe
engineers before and
after talk, reference to
the role of engineers in
the development of
skeleton bob, continual
development of students
ideas about engineering
throughout activity..
It was an excellent
presentation, great
demeanour with students,
encouraging, pitched at
perfect level for a mixed
group, support and
encouragement for
weaker students and
stretching through
questioning for higher
achieving students.
Feedback from Holt Primary School
Disaster Relief Resources
Bespoke Sessions
for students
Engaging with
Former Pupils
James Drake
What has this got to do with
Kingswood’s Maths department?
What has
this got to do
with the Best
seller; The
Alexandria
Link?
What has this got to do with
Kingswood’s Maths department?
Next stage
More parents are coming out of the woodwork to
help the department
Deal or No Deal
Using Probability
Engaging with
Parents
A school based project designed to
engage pupils and involve parents in their
children’s mathematics lessons.
Current pupils and parents
collaborating to bring the
workplace into the classroom
Charlie Jones
I think it was an excellent idea !
Any approach to bringing the
reality of maths into every
day life has got to be a good
thing.
I think it helped my child
because it was a different
and more interesting angle
on teaching this subject.It is
good to have prep that
incorporates every day life
such as this.
Feedback from stakeholders at school
some of the benefits
• Parents have a valuable role to play.
• Pupils learn more about their parents’ lives
• The students have to carry out research with a
clear aim in mind.
• They also have to work independently
• The parents are able to see what and how their
children are learning
• The parental body engaged with student
learning
• Forges/tightens bond between school and home
Engaging with
Current Pupils
Katie Melua’s
Bad Science
How would you
describe the shape
of your heart?
Squircle
LF Beauty
Agnes Chui
Student 1 LF Beauty
LF Beauty is an company which works both in internally and externally.
They provide comprehensive product development , design with
customers requirements specifically or according to the trend with
supports technically ,after sales and logistical advices throughout the
product life cycle. They have specialists of different stages such as
research and development chemists, material and packaging professions .
Together with their own factory, they provide manufacturing service and
specific service of product solutions to suit every need.
They use computer to control the processing department, modern filling
hall for skincare, fragrance, toiletry , colour cosmetic products and a
separate pack-off area and warehousing.
They are the suppliers for Body shop, Mark & Spencer, Tesco, Next……
I have been working and looked at the packaging, commercial, planning,
design and the R &D departments where mathematic has played an
important role in each of these departments.
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Commercial
This is the department which deals most with customers. They use market research
company with statistics showing the growth rate of different countries and its
relations with the changes in the cosmetic market. They can then predict and
forecast the trend and suggest what should be produce.
They will also need to calculate the development and production cost in relation to
the price of the bits of material such as amount and volume of chemicals used,
number of bottles, lids …... with the price customers are planning to pay. They
will then agreed upon terms and conditions with clients.
This is a crucial part of the whole company as their has the closest contacts with
customers.
65
Planning
The planning department decides what jobs have to be in progress at what
time. They have to take in all jobs, organize them and make sure products
are manufactured by the time given or to meet meetings or inspection with
customers. This department involves lots of skills from the module Decision
Math.
They use computer programmes and spreadsheet to record all the work. As
there are lots of orders from different companies, they have to schedule the
orders appropriately in order to meet deadlines.
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Research and Development &
Packaging
This is the department where chemist need to design a product to suit a customers’ request, e.g.
to produce a lipstick according to customers’ sample. In order to match the colour, they have to try
putting in different pigment, oil, fragrances... to satisfy their requests; they will also design new
products.
I got a chance to make a lipstick and lip-gloss to a requested colour. As the colour with alter at
different temperature and amount of raw material, bits of materials is needed to record in order to
produce a formula.
The base of a lipstick is wax , I first need to heat it up then add in pigments of colour red, yellow,
brown, blank…. then fragrances, moisture are added which are all recorded in grams and are
mixed. If the colour is not appease, more pigments may be needed. When all is set another raw
material will be added to harden its texture and to make all the raw materials to add up to 100%.
In general the wax will make up 60%, pigments 25%, fragrance 1%.
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Manufacturing formulation &
Production Filling
When a formula of a specific product is set and tested, mass production take place,
factories workers will collect ingredient from a chemical storage and pour them is
a 6-8 tones mixer. After half a day or more, liquid will be transport to the filling and
packaging machines to complete their production.
Some of the products need special care, such as the hair gum and wax, their need to
keep at a certain temperature to stay in the state of liquid when filling.
Only a few workers are needed in these stages as
most of the
work are done mechanically.
Stability, challenge testing will take place for the
time being. User
trial will also take place.
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Student 2 What Rolls Royce Do
During our work experience we got a good flavour of the sort of
problems the engineers at Rolls solve on a daily basis.
It became clear that most of their work was about finding
compromises, for example, balancing the thrust developed by an
engine with how loud it is and its fuel consumption.
Often these sorts of compromises are solved by a sort of ‘linear
programming’ type method, but as there are so many variables to
take into account a computer program has to do it for you.
We didn’t get to find out how the program works unfortunately.
Student 3
For my work experience I was asked to attempt to
organise an upcoming event that the firm would be
hosting for prospect clients
Now for the maths………..
I was told that I had a budget of £1500
I had to know that there was an expected 100
guests, who would all be expected to have at
least three drinks from the bar over the course
of the evening
Due to this I had to make an estimate of how
much the bar would need to be bought for as
the firm was buying the bar for the night so that
the drinks would all be free for the clients……for
this I also had to take into consideration the
different prices of the alcohol drinks….ranging
between 3 pounds per pint of lager and 20 for a
More maths…………….
I was told that the event was being held for the
England-Slovenia match (that was exactly one
week….7 days away)
At least that one ended well……..
To be viewing this game I was asked whether I
would be needing an 8 foot by 9 foot screen with
a projector that could be mounted on the wall for
the price of 120 pounds for the day or a 50 inch
plasma screen TV hat would cost 240 pounds
for the day…..as I was needing two of either I
had to take into account the angels that the
screens would be positioned at so everyone
could get the best possible view and the price on
the budget….on top of the £500 cost of hiring
the venue for the day
What happened…….?
Overall the cost came out at 1400 pounds to
host the evening for a night and it all went off
without complications………
Work Experience
Placements Student 4 & 5
The maths involved in Veterinary Science
The maths involved on my work placement was mainly working out medication
for the animals. Injections had to be drawn up with precision as the medication
had to relevant to the animal’s weight. This involved using a calculation for
each individual medication as they were all different concentrations and each
animal is a different weight i.e. anti-biotic.
Mathematics in Medicine
Mathematics is used in many areas of medicine
and the mathematics of tomography has become
one of the most important applications to solving a
wide range of health problems. Modern medicine
relies heavily on imaging methods, starting with the
early use of X-rays at the start of the 20th century.
Time to
create
your own
ideas or
themes to
explore.