Problem solving skills - Essay Example

Maths trail for secondary pupils in a park Affiliation Maths trail for secondary school pupils in a park Maths trail is encouraging learning of mathematics outside the classroom and taking it to the real environment outside the class. It’s a walk to discover mathematics. Math trail has no specific place to be done, it can take place in a zoo, a library, a shopping mall, a school or even a park. Math trail can be done by an individual or with a group too. Usually involves team work among members.

Math trail can also be done by all age groups, both the young and the old.The maths trail will be carried out in a park because, it’s a place for many people and it has a very cool environment that gives the mind a relaxing feeling. The math trial is to be done by students who will be divided into two groups to promote team work among them. The maths trail will have four stops of 6 minutes each so that the pupils get to answer questions and do not have much time to lose concentration, (Ollerton, 2007).

Questions to be asked would be: are all the chimes in the park of the same length? Do they make the same sound? How is the length of the chime and pitch of the tone related? Here the question would be to measure and record the results as follow:Height of tallest point – height of lowest point =Distance from tallest point to end of slideThey will be determining the period. One pupil will sit on the swing, the second will count the number of 10 back and forth swings and divide by ten. This is to be repeated using different distances.

Does this affect period? Other swings with different lengths of chains are also to be tried with the same experiment to determine if the length of the chain affect period of the swing. The last questions will be counting the number of trees that are in the resting place, measuring and comparing their diameters too. The first stop will be at the chimes. Chimes are fascinating due to the beautiful musical motes they make. Some need to be stricken by a stick to make sounds. This exercise will help pupils in learning to explore and observe, (Morgan, 2006).

The second stop would be at the slides. Slides usually provide a lot of fun to both adults and children. Some are usually steeper than others. The third stop will be at the swings. Swings provide a feeling of relaxing when playing on it. This will require pupils to help each other. Three will volunteer to dot is as others watch and help in observation. Both slides and swings will encourage team work and help in building confidence among pupils. They will also be able to learn to calculate mathematics with speed, (Morgan, 2006).

The last stop will be in a protected open field that has a few trees and shrubs. This will help pupils in developing observational skills, estimation, measuring and content knowledge, (Ollerton, 2007). In conclusion, math trials offer huge learning experiences at all ages easily. Math trials can be organized to address specific topics or just help the pupils to improve their understanding of the maths generally. All in all, math trials help a lot pupils to improve their mathematical thinking, observational skills, improve their perception about mathematics and strengthen their courage in handling mathematical problems.

ReferencesMorgan, D (2006) becoming a higher level teaching assistant: primary mathematics, Exeter learning matters (chapters 10 mathematics across the curriculum and within the environment).Ollerton, M. (2007) teaching and learning through problem solving, numeracy and beyond: applying mathematics teaching 201, March 20007, pp 3-5.