The School of Education at NUI Galway, supported by Google Ireland, has announced a project titled ‘Creative Coding for Maths Makers’ which integrates mathematical and computer programming concepts, with a specific focus on promoting STEM amongst student teachers.
BA Mathematics and Education student teachers at NUIG will be working with primary and post-primary school children to promote mathematics and computer programming integration. Both student teachers and school children will develop an understanding and design of innovative mathematical concepts by a coding interface and will then render their virtual models physically in the MakerSpace, a space purposefully designed to facilitate engaged teaching and learning.
The computers available in the MakerSpace have a higher specification than those available in most of the PC suites on campus. MakerSpace offers a 3D printing service. Such exposure and experience is of value to students as it replicates life in a STEM industry.
Claire Conneely, Computer Science Education Programme Manager at Google Ireland said: “We are excited to support the Creative Coding for Maths Makers programme at NUI Galway. Embedding Computer Science as a fundamental and rigorous subject throughout the entire school curriculum – including the introduction of Computer Science as a Leaving Certificate subject later this year – will ensure that students have a deeper understanding of how they can use technology to be creative and solve problems. Equally important is growing the confidence and skillset of the next generation of teachers, so that Computer Science will be accessible and available to all students across Ireland in the coming years.”
Pictured above: Third year BA Mathematics and Education student, Aleksandra Baskirova works with primary school children to teach workshop mathematics and computer code integration
