OK, I've blown my secrets...

I've just had the privilege  of being interviewed by the charming Sunita Pattani on Untangled FM as part of her Project Inspire series.

And, yes, I spilled the beans on much of the Mathemotivation material we take into Year 10 and 11 students at schools.

You can listen here: http://www.untangledfm.com/index.php/replays/project-inspire

Remember, you can always give your Year 10s and 11s a catalytic boost 

by booking a Mathemotivation workshop here: http://www.mathemotivation.co.uk

Mums are the Key...

If you want to get your students more motivated for STEM subjects in general - and maths in particular - get their mums on side first.

There was an article by the APS (Association for Psychological Science) in America last year (2012), about an experiment they carried out with 181 high school students. One group of parents were sent glossy materials about the value of careers in STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths), and a link to a Choices Ahead website which had similar information. A control group of parents did not receive these materials.

Students from families who understood the benefits of STEM subjects were more likely to enrol in these courses; the parents viewed them as more useful, students were more likely to discuss them, and in combination this increased students' perceptions of the usefulness of these courses.

One fact is interesting for Academies and schools in less well off areas: it's well known that children of better educated parents are more likely to pursue maths and science, and this APS investigation showed that even a modest programme of getting parents on board has the same effect.

You can read the full article here: http://www.psychologicalscience.org/index.php/uncategorized/want-to-get-teens-interested-in-math-and-science-target-their-parents.html

Remember, you can always give your Year 10s and 11s a catalytic boost 

by booking a Mathemotivation workshop here: http://www.mathemotivation.co.uk