Mawhiba (gifted and talented project)
February 2009 - January 2011(Contact: Dr John Threlfall)
Funded By: Saudi Goverment, via a third party
Other project members:
Mr Peter Pool
Professor John Monaghan
Mr Richard Matthews
Dr Matt Homer
Dr Melanie Hargreaves
Mr Tom Roper
Dr Roger Brown
Ms Elizabeth Meenan
Dr Derek Haylock
Ms Caroline Starkey
Dr Lynne McClure
Dr Alan Slomson
Mawhiba - project outline
This project is concerned with developing a programme for gifted and talented school students in schools in Saudi Arabia, and is funded indirectly by the Saudi government. Our focus within the AEU is on the subject of mathematics, with outside bodies responsible for other aspects of the program, such as English and science.
We are tasked with developing primary, intermediate and secondary school mathematics teaching and assessment materials that deepen the existing curriculum in ways that involve, for example, open and multi-step problems, tasks that require high levels of mathematical insight, extensions to topics that test technical skills to the full, and puzzles and challenges. The age range of the students involved is Year 4 to Year 12, which is approximately equivalent to Years 5 to 13 in the UK.
The aim of the project is to nurture in the students problem-solving and investigative skills, their ability to work collaboratively, as well as stimulating creativity and perseverance in their mathematical thinking.
It is hoped that students will thereby gain conceptual clarity, see connections between different topics, have deeper understanding and insight into the underlying mathematical structures that they come across, and will develop logical skills, and the ability to prove statements with rigour.
The project runs from February 2009 until January 2011.
This project last updated by Matt Homer on 29th May 2009.