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about us the team
What we do
The aim of the Maths Circles initiative is to foster an enjoyment of mathematics in young people, to stimulate and challenge them, and to further develop their problem-solving skills. The Maths Circles initiative is committed to the long-term development of each participant. It creates a community of support involving student peers, teachers, university students and mathematicians.Through the Maths Circles initiative we hope that we all can:- Offer an outlet for young students with an interest in Mathematics
- Improve mathematical abilities in a relaxed, non-classroom environment
- Engender and foster an enjoyment of Maths for Junior Cycle students
Maths Circles are designed specifically for students who enjoy mathematics and want the added challenge of exciting topics that are normally outside the school curriculum. Maths Circles promote mathematics in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere through a mixture of puzzles, games and hands-on activities. You can find samples of these activities on our downloads page. -
Meet The Circles Team
Who we are
We are a group of maths and science students and teachers based in Cork who encourage students to study and enjoy maths. The initiative is aimed at students aged from 10 to 18, with a wide ranging set of activities aimed at each age group. Each circle runs once per week for an hour and the lesson plans and activities for the circle are prepared by the student in advance of the circle for that week.
The Maths Circles project is organised by the Maths Circle Team consisting of:
Anca Mustata UCC Maths Dept
Andrei Mustata UCC Maths Dept
Julie O’Donovan Cork Maths Centre
David Goulding UCC Maths Dept
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Active Maths Circles Our current schools
Following initial discussions in relation to the development of Maths Circles in Cork, we decided to run a four week pilot programme in North Presenation Secondary School in Cork City this year. The Maths Circle was run with the help of undergraduate Mathematics students from UCC. The success of the initial pilot scheme encouraged the organisers to extend the reach of the circle and actively seek to expand the project into other schools. At present there are a number of active Maths Circles running in the Cork Region and their locations are listed below.- Douglas Community School – Ciaran O’Conaill, JP McCarthy
- St. Aidan’s Community College – Joan Hough and Gráinne Walsh
- Nagle Community College – Ciara Twomey, Kathleen Cronin, Sinead O’Sullivan and Meabh Kennedy
- Colaiste An Phiarsaigh – Sian Joyce and JP McCarthy
- Scoil Mhuire Gan Smal – Sean Foley, Joe McEniry and Sinead McCarthy
- Hamilton High School – Eoghan O’Leary and Aodhan O’Leary
- Bishopstown Community School – Mary Sheehan, Vahid Yazdanpanah and Phillip O’Mahony
- Mount Mercy Maths Circle – Mary Cowhig, Ann Sullivan, Sophie Daly and Sophie Scannell
- Gaelcholáiste Mhuire – Valerie Mulcahy and Eoin O’Mahony
- St. Mary’s Secondary School, Macroom – Sharon O’Connell and Deirdre Van Der Krogt
- St. Aloysius – Sarah Moore and Sorcha Gilroy
- North Presentation School (Pilot Scheme) – Julie O’Donovan, David Goulding, Robert Linehan and Patrick Gorman
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Boole2School Lessons← back
Download here the lesson plan on Boolean Logic for third and fourth classes:
Download (PDF)
Download here the accompanying 3rd-4th class student worksheet:
Download (PDF)
Download here the lesson plan on Boolean Logic for fifth and sixth classes:
Download (PDF)
Download here the accompanying 5th-6th class student worksheet:
Download (PDF)
Download here the lesson plan on Boolean Logic for 1st-2nd years:
Download (PDF)
Download here the accompanying 1st-2nd year student worksheet:
Download (PDF)
Download here the lesson plan on Boolean Logic for 3rd-4th years:
Download (PDF)
Download here the accompanying 3rd-4th year student worksheet:
Download (PDF)
Download here the lesson plan on Boolean Logic for 5th-6th years:
Download (PDF)
Download here the accompanying 5th-6th year student worksheet:
Download (PDF)
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Primary School Lesson Plans← back
Download a set of 8 lesson plans for Maths Circles in primary schools here
Download(PDF)
Each lesson plan can be used for one or two lessons of 40-50 min length.
Please also look into our Boole2School sections for lesson plans on logic for primary schools students. -
Junior Cycle Handbook← back
Download the Maths Circles Handbook for 1st year secondary school students here
Download (PDF) -
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Number Tricks← back
What’s Involved?
Basic addition, subtraction, multiplication and divisonOverview
Check out some of the coolest number puzzles and understand how number patterns can be easily manipulated using basic algebra.
Download! (PDF) -
Teacher Workshop← back
Overview
“I must thank you and your colleagues and students for a very interesting, informative and enjoyable workshop on Maths Circles. It just shows we are all still learning!”As part of Maths Week 2010 Dr. Anca Mustata from the Mathematics Department in University College Cork spoke on the topic of ‘Maths Circles’ and enrichment programmes, detailing her involvement in such programmes ranging from her time as a student in Romania through to her running of the enrichment programme in UCC of late. Her talk sparked a debate among the audience and raised the possibility of starting ‘Maths Circles’ in schools in the Cork region. Read the blog post
Help us out!
Go to our volunteer page for more info!
Games, puzzles and hands-on activities
The best way to learn!
Problem solving skills
Analytic skills and problem solving
Check out our events
Find more information about ongoing events
WELCOME TO MATHS CIRCLES!
Maths Circles are designed specifically for students who enjoy mathematics and want the added challenge of exciting topics that are normally outside the school curriculum.
Our upcoming events
Maths Circles are run in association with UCC Mathematics Enrichment Programme, School of Mathematics, University College Cork. The initiative is supported by a grant from the National Academy for Integration of Research,Teaching and Learning (NAIRTL).