Nicole is a Mathematics teacher at Varndean College, previously she has taught at Worthing College and was the Key Stage 4 Co-ordinator for Mathematics at Brighton Aldridge Community Academy.
She has been teaching since 2010 and has also worked in schools in London and Eastbourne. Nicole studied Maths with Physics at Sussex University then worked in industry for a while before completing the Graduate Teacher Programme at Goldsmiths University.
Her secondment to the National Space Academy allows her to develop new resources and activities for teaching GCSE and A Level Mathematics to students, as well as providing new ideas for teacher CPD. Nicole has taken inspiration from National Space Academy Project Scientists and other space researchers and is developing links with academics and students at the University of Sussex to enhance the Mathematics content she provides.
Through working with the Science Lead Educators at the National Space Academy Nicole hopes to find ways to help Science and Maths departments work together to ensure the maximisation of students' understanding of both subjects at key points in their learning at Key Stages 4 and 5.
I am really excited to be involved in the National Space Academy as I believe that Mathematics should be taught both as a discrete subject but also in a cross-curricular manner. That way students can see how to use Mathematics as a tool to solve problems posed in other subject areas
A masterclass delivered by Nicole can include:
- Use of trigonometry to explore how we see space
- Use of bounds and estimates to explore Drake's equation and the size of the Universe
- Exploration of the time practicalities of space travel, looking at linear and non linear modelling
- Analysis of compound interest, special relativity and space exploration to see how to make money
Masterclasses can be adapted for gifted and talented students or for students on the C/D borderline.
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