8 of our potential Higher Maths pupils took part in a preparatory workshop held in Stirling University on Friday the 14th of June.

The pupils really enjoyed themselves and participated in different activites throughout the day.

At the beginning of the day, all pupils from various schools were split up into different groups and were handed a schedule for timings of activities, etc.

Each group followed their own schedule and took part in 3 different group activites which tested their ability to work as part of a team as well as challenging their problem solving and communication skills.

The 3 activites were as follows:

• Activity 1 – “Challenges”
This tasked each team with cracking a cryptic code made up of numbers and letters by using a set of instructions. This was a timed activity (50 mins) which applied the pressue and all teams were encouraged to communicate with each other throughout.

• Activity 2 – “Games”
This activity involved pupils pairing up and competing against each other. The task involved each individual drawing a straight line on a piece of paper made up of circles and the aim of the activity was to successfully draw a triangle where all 3 points were touching the circumference of the circle. The first person to complete won. Pairings were altered throughout the event and the winning team was anounced at the end.

• Activity 3 – “Team”
This involved pupils being split up into teams of 4 or 5 and being tasked with constructing a tall structure using lego pieces from a box. The structure had to have a robust foundation in order to without the tests which would be carried out at the end.
This was again, a timed event (10 mins) and at the end, all structures were placed in front of a fan and had to withstand the force of the wind without collapsing. The structures were also measured and the winning team which had the correct mix of robustness and height won the task.

All tasks appeared to challenge the pupils to a great extent and also helped improve various skills including inter-personal and problem solving skills.

All pupils also rated the experience highly and if given the opportunity, would participate again!