Motivate - live video-conferencing links with primary and secondary schools

Motivate provides mathematics enrichment for all age groups, KS 1-5, through highly interactive, live, cross-curricular video-conferences linking mathematicians, scientists and educators with schools. Motivate videoconferences (VCs) include interactive presentations between an expert speaker and participating schools, with project tasks on which students work collaboratively, followed by opportunities to present their work to the speaker and each other, and to engage in discussion with the speaker and other participating schools.

Motivate aims to:

• raise students’ aspirations
• enrich the mathematical experience of students and teachers and broaden their mathematical horizons
• improve mathematical thinking and communication skills
• provide mathematical and cross-curricular tasks which enable the development of independent and collaborative learning skills
• provide a mathematical community in which students can present their work and respond to questions and feedback on it

Examples of forthcoming topics include: maths and climate change (post-16 students); the history of calculating machines (secondary students); working with very large numbers using an astronomical topic (secondary students); pattern and shape on nets and polygons (cross-phase primary/secondary students); multiplication patterns through a Hallowe’en story (primary students).

Motivate VCs have various formats. Month-long conferences consist of two interactive VCs, with project work to be done between them and presented at the second VC when students also respond to questions from their peers and the speaker. One-day masterclass-style VCs develop a topic through short and more extended tasks during a day, ending with presentations from participants. We also run special extended projects over the course of a full school year, and can offer schools bespoke maths days and shorter enrichment sessions tailored to their specific requirements. Full details of all the video-conferences we offer, and free archived project task material, can be found on the Motivate website.