ACS Hillingdon and Doha students have been representing their schools in high profile competitions...and have inspired some innovative maths projects
ACS Hillingdon and Doha students have been representing their schools in high profile competitions...and have inspired some innovative maths projects.
Middle and High School students are representing ACS Hillingdon in the UK Mathematics Trust challenges. Ela Hancer, maths teacher in Hillingdon's Upper School explains what's involved.
The concept behind our maths challenge is to increase student engagement whilst promoting the fact that it is not an abstract subject. We encourage our students to consider how maths integrates with different areas, such as aerodynamical and mechanical engineering, and are currently looking at developing mathematics projects with our music and arts departments – both of which work are interdisciplinary with maths.
Perseverance and problem-solving are two of the many skills our maths challenge students develop and we work with students from Middle School to High School (Grades 5-11), alongside my colleague, Katie Jasman.
Maths challenge provides additional differentiated teaching and learning support for our students who are high attainers, to enable them to push themselves further.
Thanks to the school's success in the UK Mathematics Trust (UKMT) Senior Mathematical Challenge last year, ACS Hillingdon was invited to take part in the UKMT 25th Anniversary Challenge earlier this year.
A select group of Grade 5, Grade 6, Grade 7 students were selected to form the group of 25 students who completed the challenge. Questions were posed to promote a love of problem-solving and to explore various areas of mathematics.
In early February, some of our Grade 8, Grade 9 and Grade 10 students represented the school in the Intermediate Mathematical Challenge. The aim is to engage students in the subject, whilst also encouraging mathematical reasoning, precision of thought and fluency.
The Maths Challenge programme is new for students in Grades 5-8. Students who are able to meet the curriculum and understand new concepts quickly will have both in-class support and pull-out sessions providing challenges through creativity and enquiry-led lessons. This approach is aimed at developing and extending student understanding and skills within the topics covered.
We have exciting plans ahead for the whole of the Upper School, including hosting a family maths night in the summer.
Ela Hancer, ACS Hillingdon
ACS Doha ‘Mathletes’ scoop top spots in Maths Olympiad
Meanwhile, ACS Doha clinched the top three places for the third year in a row in their participation in the American Mathematics Competitions (AMC) Math Olympiads in Qatar.
The three highest scoring student awards were awarded to Nikita Bortnichek, Amira Jafri, and Anton Schlegel. They are members of ACS Doha’s Mathletics club, which consists of over 20 students between the ages of 9 to 18, who share a passion for mathematical problem-solving.
The ‘Mathletes’ also participate in several Math Olympiads throughout the year including ASMA (American Scholastic Mathematics Competition), where the school’s junior team won first place and senior team placed second in a competition of over 169 international public and private schools worldwide.
Since its inception In 1950, the AMC has grown to over 300,000 students participating annually around the world, in over 4,000 schools.
As with sports and other competitions, these Math Olympiads instill structure, perseverance, and assist students to not only compete with other schools and teams, but compete with their own scores and performance, bettering themselves with each competition.
The Math competitions also allow students to better develop problem-solving skills, handle pressure, and be a team player, but most importantly, it allows students to think in a uniquely different style to problem solve, and this can later be applied throughout their lives.
ACS Doha 'Mathletes'
