A crisp spring morning in the North-East of England was the setting fro a school trip with a difference. Pupils and teachers from four schools in Northumberland, St Michael’s, Abbeyfields, Dr. Thomlinsons and Wendsleydale had arrived at The Alnwick Garden the largest maths class.
The maths class, planned and designed by Steve Humble a.k.a Dr. Maths, promoted self-learning and problem solving as it involved a series of questions related to the gardens. Guinness World Records adjudicator, Ralph Hannah, had been invited to this new record attempt to ensure they surpassed the Guinness World Records-imposed minimum target of 150 students and followed the record guidelines.
As the eager 7-11 year olds gathered by the beautiful fountain at the front of the gardens with their question sheets and pencils at the ready they were joined by a special guest. The Alnwick Garden designer, the Duchess of Northumberland, wished the children good luck before starting the lesson which also marked the launch of The Alnwick Garden puzzle trail.
As the children followed their question papers around the gardens, they saw maths brought to life. The enjoyment of maths on a large scale was also a key aim of NEPIC (North East Process Industry Cluster) the organisers who hope fostering this passion for maths and problem solving in this generation of schoolchildren will provide the local area with a future generation of chemical engineers and technicians to work in the 200 chemical plants currently situated in the North East of England.
At the end of the lesson the nine groups of children converged for a last maths challenge. The final tree-planting questions left the majority of the young mathematicians and their teachers stumped! But it didn’t matter because with 201 students, a new Guinness World Record had been set. All the students had enjoyed a unique, historic maths lesson and hopefully this memory will remind them of the joy of maths for years to come.
A crisp spring morning in the North-East of England was the setting fro a school trip with a difference. Pupils and teachers from four schools in Northumberland, St Michael’s, Abbeyfields, Dr. Thomlinsons and Wendsleydale had arrived at The Alnwick Garden the largest maths class. 