Steve Humble was up to his old tricks again this past 31st January, when he brought back his two-day Maths in the Malls event to the UK’s MetroCentre.
Humble, North East regional coordinator at the National Centre for Excellence and the man behind the The Evening Chronicle’s recurring Dr. Maths column, created and organised the unique maths trail designed to help school children incorporate maths challenges into their everyday environment.
More than 600 pupils between the ages of
seven and 11 participated in the second annual Newcastle University-backed event, representing 17 local schools. They followed a series of maths puzzles that meandered throughout the property, counting materials regularly found in a shopping centre and naming different mathematical shapes that appear in their daily life.
"Teaching mathematical concepts in this way engages and reinforces learning. It puts the ideas learnt into a setting and allows time for those ideas to be developed, without any of the maths hang-ups which can occur in the classroom," said Denise McClintock, MetroCentre’s marketing coordinator.
"By taking maths beyond the classroom, we can best illustrate the connections between the real world and what is being taught in school."
Teachers accompanied their pupils, while Maths in the Malls helpers from the Shipley Art Gallery and mathemagician Martin Duffy were on hand at various locations in the centre to guide and support the participants.
McClintock said this event was a strict community endeavour, with no related sales promotions. Still, participants didn’t leave empty-handed. Upon arrival, each pupil received a free workbook that Humble put together and which MetroCentre produced. And the event clearly got on the media’s radar.
"We received a significant amount of press coverage, amounting to over £20,000 (or just over €26,000)," McClintock said.
That media coverage included articles in the following papers, The Evening Chronicle, Gateshead Chronicle Extra, Newcastle Chronicle Extra, Northern Echo, Chester le Street Advertiser and Sunderland Echo.
"While we did not see an increase in footfall this year, we can see potential for this to take place," McClintock noted.
"This year, one particular school asked each pupil to bring an adult with them to help with the maths trail; this will potentially be rolled out in future years."
Throughout the year, shoppers visiting MetroCentre can stop by the Green Customer Services Desk to pick up a Maths Trail map and test their skills.