Senior Cycle Applied Maths

Welcome to the PDST Applied Maths page. This page will be the most up to date source for news in Applied Maths, professional development and resources developed by the PDST Applied Maths Team.

It provides information on Applied Maths as a subject, benefits for students and schools and key information for school leaders on providing for the subject.

The first professional development event of the National roll-out of the new Applied Maths specification took place on 10/11/20 in the form of a webinar. The webinar and it's Q&A can be viewed and accessed with all other CPD material in the CPD Resources section of the website.

The next event is a Professional Learning Community which takes place online and booking can be made at https://www.pdst.ie/onlinebooking. 

The Applied Mathematics Project Brief was released on 7th of November, 2022 and can be viewed by clicking on the image below. It is due for submission on 3rd of February, 2023.

Project Brief

Reporting Booklet

The State Examinations Commission (SEC) published the Sample Brief and the Sample Reporting Booklet for the Mathematical Modelling Project in March 2023.

Sample Brief

Sample Reporting Booklet

The SEC have published an Information Note on findings regarding the completion of coursework from four recent new Leaving Certificate Subject Specifications. The Information Note can be found here:

SEC Information Note on the Completion of Coursework

The NCCA recently published a Guidance to Support the Completion of the Modelling Project document which can be accessed here:

Guidance to Support the Completion of the Modelling Project

Applied Mathematics is the study of the practical applications of Mathematics to real world problems. It uses mathematical models to analyse and solve everyday problems such as calculating the maximum speed of racing cars and determining the quickest route to travel from Cork to Donegal.

The new Applied Maths Specification. 

Student Benefits

It is a constantly-evolving subject with new mathematical problems always needing to be solved. The subject develops students' problem solving, analytical and interpretative skills and encourages them to analyse a problem, model potential solutions and communicate an appropriate conclusion.

Student Experience of Applied Maths (Edel Reilly, Athlone Community College)

A new specification of Applied Maths will began nationally for 5th year students in September 2021 with the first cohort of the new curriculum being examined in 2023. The Gaeilge version of the specification can be found here.

The new specification can be found by clicking the image of the specification.

In preparation for the introduction of the new specification, the official programme of Professional Development for teachers began in January/February 2021 with the schedule for current year ,2021/2022 academic year shown in the image below.

School Leadership

School leadership plays a significant role in the implementation of any new subject specification. There are some key considerations to be aware of such as the involvement of school partners, timetabling, teacher provision and these are discussed in the video below by Lorcán O'Callaráin of the PDST Leadership Team.

The Role of Leadership in the Introduction of Applied Maths in a School (Lorcán O'Callaráin, PDST Leadership Team)

There are many benefits to introducing Applied Maths in your school such as providing students with the opportunity to recognise the role of Maths in understanding the world around us while also nurturing their interests and curiosity in STEM subjects.

With students now entering into new fields such as data science and a thriving technology industry with ever changing demands, Applied Maths offers students a 21st century learning experience and equips them with valuable skills for a wide variety of professions.

Benefits of Applied Maths to Students and Schools (Jason Kelly, Senior Inspector, Department of Education)

Please register with us and we will contact you with details of upcoming Professional Development workshops, when new resources are available and with other snippets of information that may be of interest to Applied Maths teachers.

The PDST Applied Maths Team offers a range of supports for all schools and teachers. The support can cover a wide variety of areas in teaching, learning and assessment and is available throughout the school year.

All schools can apply for subject based support:  Click for School Support.

Q. When will be CPD be offered to teachers? 

A. The professional development programme began in January 2021 with National Seminar 1 and involves 9 full day seminars, 5 professional learning communities, 4 webinars and 2 technology workshops. You can register for it here.

Q. Can more than one teacher from a school be involved in the CPD programme?

A. The professional development programme is not restricted to one teacher per school as there may be multiple teachers of Applied Maths or there may be teachers interested in taking up the teaching of the subject.

Q. I am not qualified to teach it but love the idea of it - I teach LC HL Maths - how do I upskill?

A. You can upskill by fully participating in our Professional Development programme. You can register for the PD programme here and you might like to sign up to our mailing list above so you are kept up to date with all developments in this area.

Q. Will the project be marked/graded externally? i.e. by the SEC or Teacher graded.?

A. The individual project will be externally assessed by the SEC with the teacher playing no part in the student's assessment.

Sample Questions and Answers that arose in National Seminar 1 can be found here.

Address: Applied Maths, Limerick Education Centre, Marshal House, Dooradoyle Road, Limerick.

Email Address: PDST@lec.ie

Phone: 061-585064    Fax: 061-585065