Monday 6 May 2013

A bit more on The Mathia and Maths Rock Stars...

This has been a long time in coming and I'm still needing to write a proper post dedicated to The Mathia and our Young Leaders Initiative, but I've got about 10 minutes to spare and wanted to update on Maths Rock Stars.

This started last week. We met the Thursday before to brainstorm and organise, work out who was in which form and get some questions down on paper. We agreed to meet on Wednesday to go through the task at break time and 3 pupils didn't show - they did show to revision, however, and we covered it then. I gave the pairs their folders and gave them strict instructions to be there are 8.40 and no later - this had to go well, given the time and effort that I'm putting in to it and the amount of 'airtime' we're giving it in school.

I left pupils to it on the morning, waited until my cover arrived to register my form and then went on my way. I found that, unknown to the Year 7 office and our staff handbook, there had been a reshuffle of classes in Science. I went to RE, up to Humanities and then on to English. All pupils there, all positive signs and all getting on. Ace, I thought.

The task was this:
The pupils are now 21. They're in a band and they've got a gig - in the pub across the road from school. They listen to music and answer questions from a sheet - the music of choice: Frank Turner - I Still Believe and Blur Song 2 (giving them 5 minutes and 46 seconds). The questions...

1. The Band
You are in a four-piece rock band – 2 electric guitarists, 1 bass guitarist and 1 drummer. An electric guitar has 6 strings and a bass guitar as 4 strings. How many strings are there in total? (1 point)
You are 21 years old. The other guitarist is 2 years older than you, the bass guitarist is the same age as you and the drummer is 27. What is the total of the ages in your band? (1 point)

2. The Gig
The gig is in a small pub near the school you used to attend. You will play the gig in a rectangular room that measures 5m by 10m. What is the area of the room? (2 points)
You set up at one end of the room. You take up 5m by 2m. How much area is left for people to watch the gig? (1 point)
If people take up 2m² each, how many people can attend the gig? (2 points)
17 people show up. Each of them pay £3 to watch. How much does the pub make from the gig? (1 point)


3. After The Gig
After the gig, you want a drink. You have £10 and you offer your friend a drink too. A pint of Coke is £2.20 – how much change do you get after ordering 2 Cokes? (1 point)
You set off home at 11:08pm. It takes you 34 minutes to get home. What time do you get home? (1 point)

Extension: The Next Day
You start to plan recording your EP. Studio time will cost £30 per hour + £50. If you need 4 hours in a studio, how much will this cost? (1 point)
A pack of 50 CD-Rs costs £10, 50 CD wallets cost £2 and printing for 50 CD sleeves costs £1.50. If you pay for them with a £20 note, how much change will you get? (1 point)


The feedback from form tutors was generally positive:
Just sat in registration with my two maths leaders delivering their session and i have to say i am so impressed and upbeat by what they have done, even in the short time they have been in so far! Brilliant activity that lifts the mood and an excellent start to the day for the students (and me!). To see how engaged my form are and how confident and supportive the leaders are. Just saying. (PE Teacher)
The session was excellent. The students explained the task well and clearly in my opinion.
The work was good and so was the atmosphere in the room while the kids worked.

The only improvement needed would be the timescales as there was not enough time to feedback all answers for the kids there and then.

Great idea, great music and a great way to start my day!!

Well done to all involved. (History Teacher)
The leaders were really good. The problem is that the weaker pupils really struggled with the work, I have about 5/6 really weak pupils and they found reading the questions very difficult as well as calculating the answer. I sat with M but could do with some more support maybe from room 39? The leaders assisted as well but it still was not enough. So yes, loving it, it was enjoyed by all. (PE Teacher)
Now we've to look at timings, which should hopefully be sorted out in the second week as no need to introduce the concept any more. That, and the need for the weaker students to be supported, which was always going to be a problem with the leaders not being teachers... Perhaps some more kids in with that form...

Since last week we delivered it's English's turn this week, so Thursday morning will be our time to meet and discuss. I'm thinking that some chocolate or some toast from freshly made bread might be some way to get the day started well.

I'm very proud and won't hold back from mentioning this as often as I possibly can during my interview tomorrow.

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