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YEAR 8 MATHS DAY
| Project Title | Year 8 Mathematics Day |
| Project Team | Professor John Pegg (UNE), Ms Michaela Inglis (UNE), Ms S Cook (NEGS), Mrs A Parnell (AHS), Ms Robyn Hadfield (PLC), Ms M McCormack (Duval), Ms J Falle (UNE), Dr C Lawrie (UNE), Mrs Debbie Jenner (UNE), Dr Rosemary Callingham (UNE) |
| Period | Annual |
| Funding Agency | Sponsored by: Texas Instruments, New England Maths Association, School of Education |
| Organisational Base | SiMERR National Centre |
Description
The Year 8 Mathematics Day, held each year usually in May, is a day devoted to mathematical problem solving. Between 200-300 high-achieving students attend this day and it is run by the Centre members and the New England Mathematical Association. The Mathematics Day is the largest competition of its type in Australia. The focus of the day is to promote students working together to solve a diverse range of mathematical problems, as well as have them interact with students from other schools across the region. Each student receives a certificate of attendance, and perpetual trophies are awarded to both the winning high school and the winning central school.
In recent years, Texas Instruments have generously supported the Mathematics Day by donating class sets of graphics calculators to be given as prizes. In addition, they have donated graphics calculators to be presented to each member of the winning high school and central school teams.
Schools from within a 300 kilometre radius of Armidale are invited to send one or two teams of four students per team. Some teams stay overnight at the university colleges and morning tea and lunch are provided on the day.
The day receives wide publicity in the press and evaluations by students and teachers who attend are uniformly very high.
In summary the day involves:
- involving students in a wide range of problem-solving activities appropriate to their ages;
- encouraging a broad view of mathematics which encompasses both non-routine and real-life problems;
- offering the opportunity for school groups to work collaboratively;
- providing a higher profile of mathematics in the community;
- assisting with the socialisation of students from different schools.
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