Workshops

SOLD OUT Holiday workshops: Patterns and predictions (ages 12–14)

Students in a classroom with their hand up participating in activity
Image credit: Tim Mitchell

In this workshop for 12–14 year-olds, students will explore patterns: how to spot them, describe them and use them to make predictions.

A good mathematician can spot patterns in numbers, shapes, words and more. The question that they then ask is ‘Can I find a way to describe this pattern mathematically?’ They can also make predictions as to what might come next based on the patterns that they have found.

Once they have made those predictions, the mathematician needs to make sure that the pattern works for all possible cases–can the pattern be proved, or is it just a conjecture that seems to work. This interactive session with Jenny Sharp is all about finding patterns, describing patterns mathematically, making predictions and testing them.

This workshop is strictly for 12–14 year-olds and will include a 30 minute lunch break. Students should bring lunch and a drink.

Refunds can only be issued for tickets cancelled at least two weeks (14 calendar days) in advance of the event date. Please note that this supersedes our normal event terms and conditions.

About Jenny Sharp

Jenny Sharp works at Plymouth University. As well as teaching on the undergraduate programmes, she runs a very busy Mathematics Enrichment Programme for Schools throughout Devon and Cornwall, running workshops for pupils and their teachers from Year 5 through to Year 10. She is a regular Ri Mathematics Masterclass speaker and has delivered Masterclasses on a wide range of topics.

About our workshops

Holiday workshops at the Royal Institution give students a hands-on experience of STEM topics (science, technology, engineering, maths) beyond what they learn at school. Working in groups or pairs, students will get hands-on to complete activities, challenges or projects which help them look deeper at the subject they are exploring. These workshops don’t follow the school curriculum but instead show students the many real world uses of STEM topics, expanding their horizons beyond the classroom to see the amazing possibilities science can give you. Sessions are led by experts from across industry and academia who will share with the students their excitement and knowledge of their areas of expertise.

For any queries regarding this workshop please email events@ri.ac.uk.

Support to attend holiday workshops

The Potential Trust may be able to offer financial assistance to enable children to participate in Ri events and activities if this would otherwise be financially difficult. Please contact Anna Comino-James preferably via telephone on +44 (0)1844 351666, or at their new email address potentialtrust@gmail.com. Once a bursary is agreed, you will make your workshop bookings directly with the Ri.

Event terms and conditions