Flagway Tournament makes mathematics fun

A mathematical literacy tournament between TY students from a number of Irish schools, held in Kildare Town last Thursday, was aimed at developing leadership through games with a strong mathematical component, writes Brian Byrne. The inaugural Irish Flagway (TM) Tournament, held in Kildare Town Community School, involved Mathematical Literacy Leaders from seven schools who will in turn run the games in their own schools to provide a fun way for First Year students to experience mathematics.

The event was the result of an initial visit in 2016 to Ireland by members of the Young People's Project based in De Paul University in Chicago, organised by Rachel Linney of The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment. The idea was to explore incorporating YPP ideas into a course at Dublin City University. She included a visit to Kilcullen at that time, and a Diary story from that provides the background to how the YPP concept developed from US Civil Rights movement in the 1950s. 

The Flagway Tournament was developed to tap into young students' competitive instincts. It involves teams running between bases on a gymnasium floor to work out mathematical processes in competition with each other. This is designed to show mathematics in a practical and fun way rather than as merely abstract concepts on a whiteboard.

The participating schools at last week's event in Kildare had been engaged with a TY module, Developing Mathematics Literacy Leaders. The module is a collaboration between the NCCA and the Young People's Project. The schools were Cork Educate Together Secondary School, Presentation College Listowel, St Maccarten's College Monaghan, Patrician High School Carrickmacross, Portmarnock Community School and Kilkenny College. The winners of the inaugural Flagway Ireland trophy were St Maccarten's College Monaghan.

A YPP mentor, Noore Elkatta from the Young People's Project in Cambridge, Massachusetts, attended the event, which was facilitated by KTCS’s Principal John Hayes and Mathematics teacher Jack Dempsey.

A number of teachers from schools interested in working with the module next year also attended and have already signed up for the next teacher training programme which will be hosted by KTCS from 21st-23rd August 2025.

To learn more about the module visit https://tinyurl.com/53adrsje.

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