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Bowland Maths
There are three new elements that need to be introduced to
give the implemented curriculum the balance needed to
develop effective performance in and with mathematics:
• Non-routine problems
• Substantial problems
• Multiple connections
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Overview
• When will the world’s oil reserves run out?
• How much land would be needed to build a wind farm
to supply 25% of London’s electricity?
• If the sea level rises by 50 cm, how many people will
be homeless in Bangladesh? London?
• What will be the population of Europe in 2020?
• An earthquake destroys Istanbul – how many people
are homeless, how much water, food and housing is
needed, and how long will it take you to get it all
there?
• What would it cost to give every pensioner another
£10 per week?
• Can I afford to run a car?
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Overview
• Plausible Estimation (PE) underpins major decisions
we make in our private and public lives. PE tasks show
pupils just how powerful simple mathematics can be
when making decisions about important topics.
• Plausible Estimation is also great for debunking
spurious claims (‘we can grow all the biodiesel we
need on set aside land’). Pupils will be able to see that
the problems they are being asked to solve are the
same problems faced by aid agencies, government
planning agencies, and salesmen!
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Organisation and pedagogy
• ICT is not a requirement
• Materials can be used as a block of lessons that will
take about 3-5 hours to complete, or as individual
lesson plans that can be used as free standing
‘samplers’.
• There are also tasks called ‘sprinklers’ and ‘one
liners’ that can be used as short 10-15 min free
standing activities, in any lesson, and for homework.
• Your role is to launch lessons, manage group work
and discussions, and to synthesise key mathematical
ideas.
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Powerful ideas include
• Breaking large tasks into component parts;
• Measurement accuracy depends on the purpose of
the measurement. If you use crude measures and the
conclusions are not crystal clear, you have to do
everything again, carefully!
• Solving problems in two (or more) different ways – if
you get the same answer, you can be more confident
than if you get just one answer;
• Calculating bounded estimates – make assumptions
that are at the low end, and at the high end, and look
at the difference. This will show you how sensitive the
PE is to the assumptions that have been made.
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Heart Beat
Kate, Aminda and Amadej all had their 14th birthdays last
week.
Kate guesses she has had about 20 million heart beats,
so far. Aminda thinks that estimate is too low, but Amadej
thinks it is too high.
What do you think?
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Games On - Video
The organizers of the 2012 London Olympics
need your help! They want all the athletes
to be present at the opening ceremony, in the
centre of the athletics track.
Can everyone fit in?
At the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens 11,000 people
from 296 countries took part. Assume the same number
take part in 2012.
The stadium has the dimensions shown
on the diagram below
[square sides are 10 metres].
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Stop Thief - Video
A bank manager says that an armed youth stole a bag
containing £5000 in £1 coins and ran away.
The insurance company are suspicious, and want you to
investigate. Could the bank manager be lying?
Explain your reasoning carefully!
Tell the insurers exactly what
information you used, and what
assumptions you made.
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Smartie Pants
Smarties could be used to fill this room.
How many Smarties would you need to fill the room?
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Bonus
The Chancellor of the Exchequer wants to give all
pensioners an extra £10 per week.
How much will this cost a year?
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Simple Simon
Initial auditions with producers took place in April and May 2007, with
callbacks in front of the judges in June. The number of applicants
reached an all-time high with 200,000 people auditioning in the cities
of London, Birmingham, Sheffield, Cardiff, Glasgow, Manchester and
Belfast. Eight thousand people attended an open audition at
Emirates Stadium (home of Arsenal F.C.), London, on 9 June 2007.
1) How long would these auditions have
taken if they were all seen by the one
panel of judges?
2) How many judging panels do you think
there were in the Emirates Stadium?
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Human Chains
Human chains are a form of protest in which demonstrators link their
arms in a show of solidarity. Not surprisingly, the organisers usually
report higher numbers than do the authorities.
Below are some notable chains and the numbers
claimed. Check each of the claims.
Do you believe them?
Year
Event
Numbers Claimed
Size of Chain
1997
XII World Youth
Day, 1997 - Paris
400,000
A 36 km ring
around Paris
2004
Hand-in-Hand
Rally - Taiwan
1,000,000 by Authorities
2,000,000 by Organisers
300 miles
2004
Israeli Chain
130,000 by Police
200,000 by Organizers
90 kilometres
2004
Bangladesh
5,000,000
650 miles
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Chain Gang – Baltic Protest
"Baltic Way" is the event which occurred on August 23, 1989 when
approximately two million people joined their hands to form a
human chain over 600 kilometre long across the three Baltic states
(Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania). This was organized to draw the world's
attention to the common historical fate which these three countries
suffered. It marked the 50 year anniversary since August 23, 1939
when Soviet Union and Germany divided spheres of interest in
Eastern Europe which led to 50 years of occupation for these three
states.