2014 Champion Spotlight: Coláiste Bhaile Chláir

MATHletes Challenge > 2014 Challenge > 2014 Champion Spotlight: Coláiste Bhaile Chláir
Picture: Tony Kinlan.
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Picture: Tony Kinlan.

Coláiste Bhaile Chláir, MATHletes Challenge 2014 points per eligible student category winners in the Secondary Division from Co. Galway accepting their championship cup at the National finals in May.

Coláiste Bhaile Chláir was a new school for the 2013-14 year, with only 1st year students. All 160 CBC students participated in the Challenge – making it one of the few schools to have 100% participation, and helping catapult them up the leaderboards in the points per eligible student competition. CBC volunteered to host the MATHletes Connaught finals, and 11 of their student progressed to the National Championship in Dublin. Jake Larkin came in 3rd in Ireland for 1st years.

CBC teacher Gareth Callan and 2nd year student Jake Larkin talk about using Khan Academy at CBC and competing in the MATHletes Challenge.

listen to ‘Champion spotlight: Coláiste Bhaile Chláir’ on audioBoom

A teacher perspective: Gareth Callan

  • What was one of your most memorable moments of the MATHletes Challenge?

    ‘We were proud to host the Connaught finals (at CBC). Students and parents were willing to give up their Saturday morning and travel great distances in some cases to compete.’

  • How do you use Khan Academy in your class?

    ‘Khan Academy provided instant feedback to both me as a teacher and to my students’. It was great for students who wanted an extra bit of practice at a topic and students who wanted to fine-tune their skills. It allowed students to move at their own pace, and access it from anywhere as long as they had a device.’

  • What advice do you have to teachers who are new to Khan Academy?

    ‘Khan Academy & MATHletes don’t have to be a stand alone lesson – you can give it so students who are struggling, or to students who are moving a lot faster than other students in the class’

  • How have Khan Academy & MATHletes changed your school?

    It has put maths more in focus – its something students are now happy to say they spend time at.

  • How can KA help with project maths?

    ‘One of the big ideas in ideas in project maths is problem solving…in Khan Academy this is used the whole time – through the practice questions and through the tutorial videos, students are getting used to the language of maths.’

A student perspective: Jake Larkin

  • How has using KA changed your perspective on maths?

    It has made it more fun. The events were great fun – we went up to Dublin to take tests and did a group activity about designing a carnival and went on tour of Dublin. Some was stuff you would do in school, some stuff was different.

  • What is Khan Academy like to use?

    Easy to use – the layout was perfect. Khan academy makes it easy no matter where you’re starting from. Just the layout is so easy to see you know where everything is.

From left below: 3rd place 1st year Champion Lake Larkin, CBC students at the National Finals, teacher Gareth Callan

Picture: Tony Kinlan.
CBC
Screen Shot 2015-07-20 at 08.44.20

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