This article, from the Association of Teachers of Mathematics (ATM) publication ‘Mathematics Teaching’, and is taken from MT227. Ian Thompson reviews the evidence of effective practice in the teaching of early arithmetic found by Ofsted and published in the document...

This worksheet challenges students to answer a series of questions themed around tolerances. It provides worked examples, examiners top tips and answers to each question. The resource is useful for teaching maths content in design and technology, or as a maths activity sheet.

A question posed by this resource from CensusAtSchool, investigating whether probability relates to reality. Real data is contrasted with the theoretical probabilities of the number of boys in a family, using the assumption that the probability of having a boy is 0.5. Equally likely outcomes, combined events, tree...

This activity, from the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), requires students to compete to make the strongest electromagnetic tool holder for a surgeon's robotic arm.

It is intended that students will be...

This challenge links together the topics area and perimeter. The challenge is to find the smallest area that can be enclosed using 12 toothpicks. The mathematical topics required are areas of rectangles and triangles. This resource is suitable for Key Stages 2 and 3.

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Act 1

A video shows a jar of toothpicks being emptied....

The Centre for Innovation in Mathematics Teaching provide these resources, developed to emphasise the practical nature of mathematics and its application to real life situations.

Athletics Track - explores the mathematics required in the design of an athletics track.

World...

In this puzzle students are asked to identify all of the states in a topological map of the United States of America. The resource contains a few hints to help orientate the map, but students will have to be familiar with the original map to complete the task.

The map was produced by Sian Zelbo and Mark Saul...

This collection contains resources from the website 1001mathproblems.com by Sian Zelbo. The focus is on ‘topology’ presented in the form of puzzles. 

This SMILE resource contains one pack of games, investigations, worksheets and practical activities supporting the teaching and learning of topology.

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This module from the Nuffield Foundation introduces simple ideas of topology starting from informal considerations of topological transformations progressing to work on networks (the bulk of the content) and ending with an investigation into map colouring.

Torbury Festival is a set of interactive lessons around staging of a music festival. To overcome various challenges, from floods to escaped cattle to over-excited crowds storming the stage, students must apply their mathematical knowledge to real life situations. The problems are intended to promote discussion,...

This resource from stats4schools focuses on which attractions in London are the most popular using data from the National Tourist Board covering the years 1994 to 2001. Students can interpret information from tables, manipulate data, investigate tourism and plan a visit to London.

The resource includes a...

This mathematical investigation from the National Strategies Study Plus collection starts with the idea of someone being locked up in a tower.

The context could to be adapted so that it will appeal to the students, for example built around spies, knights of old, or TV characters. The tower shape and number...