Engineers Ireland marks world maths day by offering grinds
Release date: Thursday, 4 March 2010
On 13th March, Engineers Ireland began their maths grinds series to higher-level Leaving Certificate Maths students.
The grinds, which are free of charge, are held at the Engineers Ireland offices, 22 Clyde Road, Ballsbridge from 11am to 2pm every Saturday beginning March 13, with the exception of Easter weekend until the 8th May. The grinds will be for honours maths students sitting the Leaving Certificate this summer and will be recorded to allow students to review sessions afterwards.
Students should register online here to book their attendance for the next lecture on March 20th.
To view Saturday 13th March's session please visit here.
John Power, said: "During Engineers Week last month, the Engineers Ireland ‘Report of Task Force on Education of Mathematics and Science at Second Level’ called for better use of ICT in teaching so Tim Joyce’s grinds are a step in this direction. We clearly need a revamped approach to how we teach the core STEM subjects of science, technology, engineering and maths that underpin our Smart Economy vision. Engineers Ireland hopes that, by webcasting these grinds and focusing on the real-life relevance of maths concepts, we can help students get to grips with a vitally important subject in a time-efficient manner."
Tim Joyce, Chartered Engineer, and guest lecturer to final engineering students in both UCD and NUI Galway, said the grinds would focus on the real-life applicability of maths concepts with the webcasting giving students flexibility as time pressures build up ahead of the exams in June. "Engineers have a good practical approach to things and have gained experience in using mathematics in their work. This should allow us remove, at least some of, the barriers that many students have by helping them understand the real value and applicability of the methods they are now learning. This may also allow them make the step from learning theory and methods to becoming adept at applying it to solve the problems presented in the exam. As a consequence, working through questions from past Leaving Certificates must form a big part of our effort. The focus will be to provide value-added sessions for students."