HSTM 2024 - Embark on A Mathematical Voyage
In the begining of March, we held the annual High School Team Maths Competition - a journey into the world of maths beyond the classroom. Hosted by our school, this maths event has now entered its 11th year. Around 120 students and teachers from 13 international high schools from across the country and South Korea participated in the competition. The two-day event included group, relay, small group, and other competitions. One of the highlights was a unique practical puzzle-solving competition that led students to explore Suzhou Museum through the immersive and interactive ‘Maths Trial’, challenging their mathematical abilities in unique ways.
Participating Schools
in alphabetical order
Dulwich College Seoul
Dulwich College Shanghai, Pudong
Dulwich College Shanghai, Puxi
Dulwich College Suzhou
Dulwich International High School Suzhou
EtonHouse International School Suzhou
Greentown Ivy International Academy
Hangzhou Foreign Languages School
Shanghai Community International School, Pudong
Shen Wai International School
Utahloy International School
Wuxi Dipont School of Arts and Science
Yingya St Peter's School
When we are talking about HSTM, what are we talking about?
DHSZ Head of Mathematics, Christopher Krnic, is the organiser of the competition. He believes that this competition provides many opportunities for students to truly enjoy maths and engage in problem-solving – skills that go beyond typical maths competitions. "This competition is looking to go beyond normal mathematics curriculum. It focuses on students' problem-solving and teamwork abilities, not only within school-based teams but also through mixed teams across schools. We also get our students to do a ’maths trail’where they go around the Suzhou Museum to explore and see mathematics in the real world." He believes these skills will have long-term and positive impacts on students, stating, "It isn’t me just working on a computer. The world is all about teamwork and collaboration and trying to solve real world problems, so these are the types of skills that we look to try to foster during the two days of the competition."
Ray W, one of our Year 13 students who participated in the competition, commented that what he gained through the competition was not only a deeper understanding of maths, but more importantly, making friends from different cultural backgrounds. "The students who participated in the competition came from different cities and even different countries, and even though we had never met each other, our passion for maths will always bind us together." And this is his second year competing in HSTM."I was really impressed by the grandeur of last year's HSTM, and this year is even better!"
"Friday morning, and we're off to a high-pressure competition. The first round of twelve layered and deep puzzles fascinated us and made us nervous at the same time. The different types of questions such as number theory, geometry, permutations and combinations were overwhelming. The relay races and group work that followed were unique and a great test of teamwork. The small group competitions, where students who don't know each other join together to form a team, allowed us to interact with new
Learning from all things, learning maths from all things
Mr Ron Lancaster, Associate Professor at the University of Toronto, was the guest lecturer for this event, which marks his sixth year of participation in HSTM. With 40 years of teaching experience, he still holds great enthusiasm for working with students and teachers alike. One of Professor Lancaster's objectives on this occasion was to provide professional development training for teachers, aiming to enrich their teaching methods in maths education. He emphasised the integration of real-world problem-solving into the curriculum and introduced new technological tools to educators, making maths more attractive to students.
Professor Lancaster also designed the "Maths Trail" at the Suzhou Museum West. To better understand the venue and explore the optimal connections between the museum and maths, he arrived in Suzhou a week before the HSTM event and visited the museum several times for inspection. "It's a little bit tricky for me to do these things, because I don't know the students, and I don't know what they know and what they don't know. I've tried to pick some things out that are really kind of curious, quirky, unusual." What he did was pretend that he put on a pair of mathematical glasses, and then he walked around the museum, looked at things, and tried to look at things through a mathematical lens. In addition to having the students answer questions, Professor Lancaster also required students to pose questions themselves. “It's no longer doing my questions. It's them coming up with their own questions. This means that the students are also gonna have to put on a pair of mathematical glasses and walk around, look at things, find things, and think about questions.”
“The museum is very geometric. It's got angles and it's got line segments and all kinds of things. Students are going to look at that logo from a mathematical perspective.”
The Bilateral Pursuit of Mathematical Romance
“I'm really looking forward to doing this with the students because, when I wrote up all the questions, it was just me kind of walking around, but it really comes alive when I'm with students. When I see the students answer the questions, it's like, ‘Wow!’, like I never would have thought of doing it that way. So I learned new things when I see the students do it as well.”
Professor Lancaster told us that there are many reasons for the math trail, and one of them is that it gives students a chance to see where math lives. “Students all often learn mathematics in a vacuum. They have no idea where maths is. It's just all sums. It's just adding up numbers. It's formulas. But when they go to the museum, they're actually going to see where maths lives, examples of mathematics in real life. That's one goal. The other one is to help students become more observant, slow down, look around, be curious, observe. These are good qualities that everybody should have, not just in a maths classroom. The other thing that I think is really important, too, is it gives students a chance to get a bit of exercise.” Professor Lancaster's teaching philosophy is not only to enrich students' mathematical knowledge, but also to help them to fall in love with mathematics, and to really value the subject overall by demonstrating its relevance and application in everyday life.
Professor Lancaster's expectations were well received. In Ray's view, HSTM is an eclectic event, and enjoying the competition is only one of them. For example, Professor Lancaster's lecture on mathematical black holes piqued his interest, "The final conclusion on number theoretic congruence surprised us and made us admire his profound academic strength and unique personal charisma. " Ray also seized the opportunity to have an in-depth conversation with the professor during the "Maths Trail" at the museum. "He and I had a separate discussion about the connection between music and mathematics, such as the mathematically impossible chords in the music of the Beatles and the Fibonacci series in the music of Erik Satie. Unlike the strict university professors that people think of, Professor Lancaster is funny and approachable, and I really benefited from my conversations with him.”
Participation is Rewarding: You're All Great!
After multiple rounds of competition over two days, several awards were presented. Ray was awarded the "Best in age group (18 years old)”, but he humbly stated, "This doesn't mean I'm the best. In HSTM, everyone is a winner individually, and each group is a winner as a team!" As a first-time participant, students from the Shen Wai International School won the "HSTM Championship." They expressed their enjoyment of the entire event, saying, "Throughout this journey, we learned a lot, such as teamwork. We also created many memories that we can cherish forever and made many new friends. This is a significant gain, and we hope to always treasure these friendships."
HSTM - See you next year!
As Mr Krnic expects, "I have a vision that HSTM will grow into the biggest English language maths competition in China. I want it to be associated with the pinnacle of mass competitions and using those skills and that knowledge and really showing that we have the brightest and best competing."
We are confident that HSTM will attract more and more students with a passion for maths, injecting more vitality and momentum into high school maths education.
