Teaching fellow applies maths to real-world scenarios

Using her maths talents to resolve complex problems in the steel and dairy industries at Massey University’s Albany campus has been a contrast to the usual classroom world of North Shore teacher Kerri Spooner.

As a 2011 Royal Society of New Zealand Teacher Fellow in mathematics, the Long Bay College teacher says she now has a better understanding of how mathematical modelling is applied in the real world through projects she has been working on at Massey’s Centre for Mathematics in Industry.

While mathematical modelling – using formulas such as differential equations, statistical models and game theoretic models to solve complex problems – is relatively new in schools, Ms Spooner hopes to incorporate it into her lessons, and to ensure her pupils are aware of the numerous uses for maths in engineering, sciences and industry.

“The fellowship has been a great opportunity to work with expert mathematicians and to learn about the latest developments, software and applications in the real world,” she says. “I’ll be well placed to show my students that maths isn’t isolated from the real world. That they have lots of opportunities to keep learning and using maths skills and knowledge beyond school,” she says.

Her project with Massey University is titled Exploring Mathematics in Industry. She has been working with Professor Graeme Wake, head of the centre at Massey’s Institute of Information and Mathematical Studies at Albany, on projects with New Zealand Steel and Fonterra. Ms Spooner at the same time is currently completing a master’s degree in mathematics education and applied mathematics.

Mathematics researchers at the institute also use modelling in a range of projects, from predicting the spread of infectious diseases such as swine flu in populations so that vaccination campaigns can be better managed, to monitoring changes to the health of marine ecosystems and assessing data leading to the discovery of earth-sized planets.

Professor Wake says Ms Spooner has made “major contributions to projects from two of our current clients. She became a valued member of the teams and found, as we expected, that industrial mathematics is ‘learn by doing’. Her classroom input will be highly enriched by using approaches she developed here.”

She couldn’t agree more. “Kids may do maths because they have to, but if they have an enjoyable experience by being successful, they are more likely to develop and improve their maths ability,” Ms Spooner says. “I’m always looking for ways to make it challenging and rewarding for them, whatever level they’re at.”