Special Initiatives in Mathematics and Science Education
A number of special initiatives in mathematics and science education have been conducted in recent years targeting different audiences, at both the primary and secondary levels.
March 2014 saw the launch of an event designed to popularize mathematics and science called XʼHemM? il-Birgu. The event targets Year 6 students in all primary schools in Malta. The main aim of the event is to engage students in hands-on mathematical and scientific activities and investigations promoting a problem solving approach, as well as providing children with basic competencies in learning, language, social interaction, and motor function.
Following the positive feedback received after this event, three similar events were organized in 2015 for different primary school cohorts:
- X’hemM? il-Ġnien—targeting Year 4 students
- X’hemM? il-Ġnien—targeting Year 3 students
- X’hemM? il-Mellieħa—targeting Year 6 students
During these events, students experience different aspects of science and mathematics through inquiry-based problem solving methodology.
Numerous other activities are organized in state and nonstate primary schools to promote inquiry. Mathematics clubs are common and often are facilitated by the Primary Mathematics Support Team while a number of schools organize an annual Maths Week or mathematics-themed days. Parents often are invited to participate in these events, and in workshops intended to help them support their children at home by developing an understanding of how their children learn. To celebrate these events and other practices and initiatives, an online newsletter called Maths Matters is issued monthly by the Mathematics Support Team.
In 2015, students in Years 5 and 6 were invited to participate in the High 5 Junior Mathematicians Challenge, a program designed to create opportunities for gifted and talented primary students to develop their talent through practice with stimulating mathematical problems. Five 2-hour training seminars are held after school hours, during which students are:
- Presented with rich tasks that require skills beyond computation, through which they reinforce their spatial as well as analytic abilities
- Given the opportunity to enrich their heuristic skills
- Further challenged to create questions
- Encouraged to explore and develop mathematics that may be new to them
- Given access to a wide range of resources, including assistive technology
- Asked to participate in individual and group challenges
- Requested to keep a portfolio
A biannual Maths Olympiad also is held, and 144 students from 36 state and nonstate schools participate. This initiative, which offers mathematics activities for gifted and talented Year 10 students in six sessions during the school year in state and nonstate schools.
Junior Science Clubs are organized in different locations as an alternative extracurricular activity, held after school hours, and provide parents the opportunity to enroll their children in a program that offers science investigations and practical science-related activities that extend studentsʼ experience of science beyond the classroom setting. Junior Science Clubs provide opportunities for students to practice science process skills, develop critical thinking, communication, and self-appraisal skills, and to explore a wider range of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) themes, thus broadening student enthusiasm for and interest in science from an early age.
The Teen Science Cafés initiative targets Years 7 and 8 students in secondary schools, aiming to offer teenage students opportunities to encounter professionals and experts in STEM careers. Professionals and experts in different fields of science visit schools throughout the first two terms of the school year to share their career insights and experiences related to STEM. The initiative is focused on creating an interactive, informal exchange between students and professionals to engage young students in conversation about relevant STEM themes and career paths in an informal setting, making a positive impact on students’ study and career choices. Teen Science Cafés primarily serve as an outreach program for promoting careers in science and technology, and facilitate improved career guidance and interest in studying STEM subjects.
The Science Safari is an annual popularization event targeting Year 8 students, in which students have the opportunity to put science into practice through a treasure hunt activity. The event is open to students from all sectors, and most secondary schools participate.
The Malta Junior Science Olympiad is an annual event for gifted and talented Year 11 science students in the state and nonstate sectors. Students are presented with a three hour laboratory task which goes slightly beyond the established curricula. The task is themed around a particular topic, and students are asked to solve a physics, a chemistry, and a biology task related to the particular theme.