Show Your Working 02 04

#ShowYourWorking 2021 - We asked, you told!

In the run up to and during Maths Week Scotland 2021, we’ve been encouraging people from all walks of industry to get involved in our #ShowYourWorking campaign and show off how they use maths in their roles and demonstrate the importance of maths in a whole range of potential future careers for Scotland’s young people.

Why is this important?

Do you remember sitting in maths class learning about Pythagoras theorem or quadratic equations and thinking that these terms would be a distant memory post-school? #ShowYourWorking aims to challenge this misconception by creating a collection of real-life applications of maths in the workplace. This will help both educators and pupils to help contextualise the maths they are using in the classroom and the importance of the key maths skills they are learning… but we need your help!

Some fantastic examples

We’ve been really enjoying your contributions! Here are some of our highlights so far…

“I can think of no job that you don’t need maths to help you get better in that job” - familiar face Professor Jason Leitch told us about the calculations he and his team have had to do during the course of the pandemic - percentages, charts and statistics analysis.

Jason Leitch

Dan explained how he uses measurement, weight and financial calculations as a an Assistant Curator for Ancient Mediterranean Collections at the National Museum of Scotland.

Co-ordinates were highlighted by the National Mining Museum – they use this area of maths to identify colliery locations on maps.

The Great British Bake Off 2020 winner Peter Sawkins shared a great example of maths being used in baking. Being able to calculate volume is very useful when it comes to getting the size right for the perfect wedding cake!

Peter Sawkins

https://twitter.com/ScotGovEdu...
Port Ellen Primary School on the Isle of Islay shared a local example of operators in distilleries using calculations to work out the amount of alcohol that goes into tankers or casks and how much spirit will come from barley.

Looking at the medical sector, Colquhoun Park Primary school shared an example from one of their families of a nurse using maths to calculate the medicine needed for the people they care for.

Additionally, Scottish Government Minister for Children and Young People Claire Haughey MSP explained how maths helps her with time management, budget calculation and to identify the inequalities and challenges that affect children and young people.

Clare Haughey Show Your Working Social Graphic Template

Find out more

Educators - looking for more inspiration? Check out STEM Ambassadors in Scotland’s fantastic resource ‘When will I ever use this?’ for more examples of how STEM Ambassadors use maths in a range of roles in STEM industries.

Read some of our 2020 #ShowYourWorking highlights here.

Have you taken part yet? Find out more about the #ShowYourWorking campaign, as well as a useful template and other resources here.

Latest News

MWS Christmas Countdown 23 preview450x675

Christmas Holiday Countdown 2023

Our Christmas Holiday Countdown is back for 2023! From 1 to 20 December we will be sharing daily maths inspired activities to make the wait for the holidays a little more fun.

View details

Upcoming Events

14 GMRC Generic 1st Jan-31st Dec

Ancient Egyptian Maths and Science

Glasgow Museums Resource Centre All day £45 (Free for Glasgow schools)

Schools workshop. Work in groups to solve problems faced by the Ancient Egyptian thousands of years ago, learn to measure and weigh just like they did, and handle objects they made.

View details