Professional Learning Community 1

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Professional Learning Community 1

Applied Mathematics

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7.00 - 7:05 Welcome, introductions & roll

7.05 - 7:15 Aims & benefits of a PLC – shared expectations

7.15 - 7:40 Groupwork - SOLVING MATHEMATICAL MODELLING PROBLEMS

7.40 - 7:55 Feedback from groups

7.55 - 8:00 Summary of key messages

8.00 - 8:25 Groupwork - CREATING MATHEMATICAL MODELLING PROBLEMS

8.25 - 8:40 Feedback from groups

8.40 - 8:45 Summary of key messages

8.45 - 9:00 Review of the evening & evaluations

Agenda

Professional Learning Communities (PLC)

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Teacher lead with support from PDST.

“None of us is as smart as all of us” - Japanese Proverb

Evening sessions (Face to face/online).

Long-term support network.

Teachers support each other in the development of knowledge, teaching and learning approaches etc.

Shared Expectationsfrom

Professional Learning Communities

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1.

3.

2.

Padlet Link: https://padlet.com/postprimarymaths/iz6mmcpj5iigawe3

Mathematical Modelling Cycle

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Mathematical modelling is the unifying strand through which teaching, learning and assessment take place.

It is a process that will develop skills such as:

• Formulating problems

• Translating problems into mathematics

• Computing solutions

• Evaluating solutions

(Specification p. 16)

Formulating

Problems

Evaluating

Solutions

Translate to

Mathematics

Computing

Solutions

Mathematical

Modelling

GROUP WORK - MATHEMATICAL MODELLING PROBLEMS

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Padlet Link: https://padlet.com/postprimarymaths/d574xb01fusu7m4l

Group 1 : Which road should we take?

GROUP WORK - MATHEMATICAL MODELLING PROBLEMS

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Group 2: How many trees go into your morning read?

Padlet Link: https://padlet.com/postprimarymaths/eyvnecxpjn142l41

GROUP WORK - MATHEMATICAL MODELLING PROBLEMS

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Group 3: The Elevator problem

Padlet link: https://padlet.com/postprimarymaths/g0nq0lggjvpxavgd

GROUP WORK - MATHEMATICAL MODELLING PROBLEMS - Feedback

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Refer to padlet walls

GROUP WORK - MATHEMATICAL MODELLING PROBLEMS

SUMMARY OF KEY MESSAGES

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GROUPWORK - CREATING MATHEMATICAL MODELLING PROBLEMS

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Our goal is to carefully remove some scaffolding (data) from a word problem, to enable us to redesign the task and use it as a mathematical modelling problem.

Formulating

Problems

Evaluating

Solutions

Translate to

Mathematics

Computing

Solutions

Mathematical Modelling

Group 1

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Padlet link

https://padlet.com/postprimarymaths/st4jvln57hn8xc6j

How could we rewrite this so that it becomes a mathematical modelling problem for our students?

The diagram below shows distances in metres between different various points. We would like to remove scaffolding to enable

the student to engage with the problem. We wish the students to:

Find a minimum spanning tree for the network in the diagram below, showing clearly the order in which you selected the arcs for

your tree, using

(i) Kruskal’s algorithm

(ii) Prim’s algorithm, starting from A

Group 2

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Padlet link: https://padlet.com/postprimarymaths/vf269dscxzeoxgaw

Group 3

14Padlet link: https://padlet.com/postprimarymaths/3mz92zo8lqsxc7le

The table below shows the distance, in metres, between shops in an outlet centre to

consider when physically connecting each shop for Gas supply.

(a) Create the network using the direct connections and distances outlined in the table.

(b) Using Prim's algorithm, starting from A, determine the minimum spanning tree so that

all of the shops are connected and find the total weight.

Task: Redesign this question to become a modelling problem where students need to formulate the problem, may have to research information, make assumptions and possibly do further iterations.

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Review & Next Steps

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Review of evenings work.

Contact details: appliedmaths@pdst.ie

Forum for sharing of resources and ideas

Next Seminar - April 2021.

End of term Webinar - May 2021.