Maths in the Park? Pardon me?
On a beautiful crisp November morning, 54 children from Years 3 and 4 of West Park Primary School, Wolverhampton, enthusiastically took up the challenge of seeing if they could find any maths in West Park, opposite their school.
The park rangers, gardeners and cafe staff were all eager to help in the quest. The children returned to school triumphant with an abundance of evidence! They’d found maths in shapes such as the octagonal bandstand, the playground structures, buildings and shelters; in calculations when they were buying sweets in the cafe (each child was given 50p) and then worked out the change due; through measuring such as calculating the age of a tree through counting its annual growth rings, and recording the length and breadth of a tennis court; and through data gathering using tally charts to count the number of squirrels, dogs, geese and ducks they had spotted. "I wish maths was like this every day," said pupil Amandeep, whilst fellow pupil Anisa realised: "I learned that I know things that I didn’t know I know".
Project objectives
Creative Partnerships is partnering with Foursight Theatre on this Enquiry School project. Initial research on their last production 'Forever in Your Debt' led to the idea of a learning and participation project focusing on maths. Since Foursight Theatre is based in the same neighbourhood as West Park Primary School and both are interested in exploring the same topic with and in their local community, the partnership has been seen to be serendipitous and inevitable. They are helping explore the question: "How can more creativity be introduced into maths provision in West Park Primary School in order to help pupils understand maths within real life contexts?"
Who was involved?
The project involved pupils from Years 3 and 4 at West Park Primary School.
Impact
Now they’d conquered the park, they were ready to take on the world! They were asked, 'Where else do you think you might be able to explore and find maths in your community?' The answers came thick and fast: in my bedroom, in my street, in snowflakes, in the theatre, the Art Gallery, the Molineux... Without realising it, the children were mapping out the rest of the project. Dates are now in the diary to visit these places to do maths based activities.
The children were further asked, '...And so if you think you can find maths in a theatre, what about through drama?' YES! '...And music?' YES! '...And dance?' YES! 'Really?' YES! The investigations are now a real partnership.
Results
Opportunities to explore the question are presenting themselves without staff having to look far: in local shops, at the Newhampton Arts Centre over the road, at the local Credit Union etc. So with the change some children had after their West Park cafe trip, they have opened up Credit Union savings accounts, making initial steps at a very young age to be forever in credit! This project is proving to be a project rich in possibilities!
