Motivate - live video-conferencing links with primary and secondary schools

Motivate is a live video-conferencing programme linking leading mathematicians, physicists and engineers to primary and secondary schools across the UK, particularly in areas of social disadvantage. The aim of the programme is to enrich children's mathematical experience and help to raise educational aspirations.

In the videoconferencing sessions, prominent mathematicians and mathematical scientists talk to the students about why they chose to study maths and pursue research as a career, and then discuss their own research area. Secondary topics covered so far include, among others, fractals, chaos, the sun, non-Euclidean topology, Euler's relation, gyroscopes and helicopters, mazes, the maths of low temperature physics, and probability. Primary topics have included helicopters, mathemagic and division with remainders.

Linked to the video-conferences, we produce teaching resources giving students the opportunity to work on projects that enrich the normal curriculum. These are frequently cross-curricular, and give students the chance to work in the same way that professional mathematicians do. It also allows them to develop transferable skills in motivating their groups and presenting their research. The aim is to raise the aspirations of the students, to stretch them intellectually, to develop their confidence and presentation skills and to show that mathematics might have a part to play in their futures.

So far we have worked with schools in all areas of the UK - England, Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland. We have also created international links between UK schools and South Africa, Singapore, Pakistan and India.

Around 100 schools each year participate directly in the video-conferences, at Key Stage 2, 3, 4 and 5 - over 3,000 pupils annually.

In 2007 the project website, where transcripts of the speakers' talks, teachers notes and project work topics are freely available to any school whether or not they have participated in the video-conferences, attracted over 500,000 site visits (more than 8.4 million hits).