The Global Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. Jenny's work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
About Jenny
I have been at the University of Plymouth (and its earlier inceptions as Polytechnic South West and Plymouth Polytechnic) for many years. I came to Plymouth for my undergraduate Mathematics degree which was then followed by an EPSRC funded PhD in ecosystem modelling. I was lucky to be appointed as a Lecturer in Mathematics immediately after my PhD.
My interest in teaching and learning developed over the first few years of my lectureship. I began teaching first year modules on calculus and mechanics which I thoroughly enjoyed; it taught me a lot about how to teach for understanding rather than just following procedures. I was part of the Teachers Teaching with Technology, T3, team that developed materials and provided training for teachers on Texas Instruments’ first graphic calculators. This enabled me to travel throughout the UK, to International Schools in Europe and Egypt as well as attending the T3 conferences in the United States. In 1996 I started the Royal Institution’s mathematics masterclass programme in Plymouth for Year 9 students, 2024 saw the 26th annual series and over 1400 students have attended over the years. I expanded the work that I did for schools, working with Year 5 students all the way up to Year 12s. This enables me to know where our undergraduates are in their mathematical journey when they join us, things have changed a lot over the intervening 30ish years.
Currently, I would say that there are 2 halves to my role: my teaching role within the School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics, and the enrichment and outreach activities for schools. I enjoy both but I absolutely love developing and then running the workshops and masterclasses for the school students. It may be something I read or hear on the radio that get me thinking – can I develop that into a workshop. It is wonderful to have the freedom to work with students on a topic not linked to the curriculum, that they will not be tested on, that they can carry on exploring.
Teaching
I am responsible for the Mathematics with Education degree programme which has two modules: a School Placement module and a Mathematics Education project. These two modules prepare the students for a career in teaching mathematics, they provide a very strong foundation to those applying for any type of initial teacher training place.
The School Placement module is for final year students who are interested in teaching as a career. The students spend one morning a week over the Autumn and Spring terms in the mathematics department of a local school, usually secondary but occasionally primary. They work in a number of classes as a mathematics specialist teaching assistant. By the end of the placement, the experience enable the students to decide if teaching mathematics is a career for them now, later or not at all.
The Mathematics Education Project allows those students who are on the Mathematics with Education degree to study in depth an area of Mathematics Education which will be useful to them once they start their teaching career.
I am module leader for two of the modules on the Foundation Year of the Mathematics Degree. The students come from a variety of backgrounds: mature students who are returning to study after a break, international students who need to ‘top-up’ their mathematics knowledge and students who have not achieved the grades to go straight onto the mathematics degree. These two modules allow the students the chance to develop the skills that will be needed on the degree. We look at 'why' rather than just learning procedures, concentrating on formal proofs, writing mathematics correctly as well as instilling a sense of enjoyment of mathematics.
Contact Jenny
Room 103, 2 Kirkby Place, Drake Circus, Plymouth, PL4 8AA
+44 1752 586872
J.Sharp@plymouth.ac.uk
