Hampshire maths teacher Andy Grice tackles trigonometry with his GCSE pupils and gets away from traditional textbook teaching by taking them out of the classroom. The challenge is to estimate the height of buildings round the school campus, and then work in teams to take the measurements needed to calculate their heights using trig ratios. An introductory session in the classroom establishes the task, and the element of competition, tight time-checks and clearly defined roles keep the pupils on task while they're at large around the school campus. Back in the classroom it's a race to match the calculations to the estimates and see which group comes closest - and is the 'winner'. Andy and his colleagues then analyse the success of the project at motivating year 10 pupils, and discuss some of the issues that emerged. The pupils enjoy looking at trigonometry in this more visual and practical way.

Video Series: KS3/4 Maths
Release Date 2006