Think of the last time somebody near you had to plan a real job: painting a bedroom, laying a patio, building a set for the school play, or costing a small event. Before a single euro was spent, somebody had to answer three questions. What exactly are we doing? Who is it for? What do we still need to find out?
That is mathematical planning. Over the next two years you will work through four modules of Mathematical Applications, each built around a real case study. Today you pick the MA1 project, set up the folder that will hold every piece of evidence, and write the brief that starts your first Key Assignment.
Here is the shape of the whole course, so you know where today sits.
Four modules, 120 lessons, 14 SEC credits. MA1 is Mathematics and Planning. MA2 is Mathematics and the World Around Me. MA3 is Mathematics and Life Skills. MA4 is Mathematics and Work. Each module is 30 lessons and carries one Key Assignment — a case study you build in your Maths Portfolio. At the end of Year 2 there is also a 2-hour written exam of problems set in real contexts (10 of the 14 credits).
| Concept | Why it matters | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Maths Portfolio — the folder you fill across every module with calculations, drawings, tables and short write-ups | The portfolio is the Key Assignment evidence a registered LCA teacher verifies for SEC credit | A hard-copy folder, a OneDrive or Google Drive folder, or both — the SEC accepts either |
| Key Assignment — one portfolio case study per module, assessed across five stages | Four Key Assignments across the course are worth 4 of your 14 credits | MA1 KA1 is your planning project; the brief you write today starts the Finding out stage |
| 5-stage case study cycle — Finding out; Collecting, Comparing and Calculating; Interpretation; Making judgements; Communicating | Every KA folder must show evidence in all five stages or it is incomplete | Finding out today; supplier prices and a budget later; a justified recommendation and a short report at the end of the module |
| Authentic data — real prices, real measurements, real quotes, always dated and sourced | Invented numbers make the maths pointless and will not stand up in the KA or the written exam | A current catalogue price for 2.5 litres of emulsion, with the shop name and today's date beside it |
What a finished Project Brief looks like. Here is one worked example so you can see the shape before you write your own.
Project: Redecorate the Transition Year common room.
Purpose: Make the room usable for study and small group meetings without a full rebuild.
Who it is for: The TY year head and the students who use the room daily.
Three key questions: (1) What is the floor area and wall area we actually have to cover? (2) What will paint, flooring and basic furniture cost from real local suppliers? (3) Which option gives the best finish inside a €400 ceiling?
Notice the three questions are things you can measure, price or decide with numbers. That is the MCS.1 move: frame the problem so mathematics can answer it.
In the next fifteen minutes the class agrees the MA1 project. It has to be a real planning job that will use authentic measurements and authentic prices across the module — not a made-up scenario.
The question on the board: What real planning project should this class take on for MA1 — a job with a measurable space and materials we can price from real suppliers?
Ground rules for the brainstorm:
Candidate project types (use these as a starting list, then add your own):
On your own, write three candidate ideas. Then in a small group, share them and push each idea through three checks: Can we measure a real space? Can we find real prices? Will this still matter in four weeks? The class then votes. One shared project for everyone is the default; your teacher may allow small groups to run their own if that fits the room better.
Share back: Each group brings its strongest idea to the board. The class votes, and the winning project is the one every lesson in MA1 will measure, price and plan.
Your Maths Portfolio starts now. Set up the folder you will use for the rest of the course, then draft the bones of your MA1 Project Brief for the project the class just chose.
Folder setup (do this first):
Brief draft (do this second):
On paper or in a new document inside the MA1 section, write four headings and fill them for the agreed project:
Use the worked brief from earlier as your model. Keep the questions concrete. "How do we make it nice?" is too vague. "What is the wall area in m² and how many 2.5 litre tins of emulsion does that need?" is usable.
Set up your Maths Portfolio folder first. Then draft the four parts of the MA1 Project Brief for the project the class agreed. Keep every key question measurable.
Work through these in order:
Your draft only counts as portfolio evidence once it is written up so somebody else can follow it. Complete the MA1 Project Brief in clean form on a fresh page in your Maths Portfolio, then file it in the MA1 Planning section of your Maths Portfolio (hard-copy folder or cloud document). This is the first piece of MA1 KA1 Finding out evidence.
Instructions: Fill every section. The three key questions must be things you can measure, price or decide with numbers. End with one sentence on the first thing you will find out next.
Work each row in order onto a fresh page in your Maths Portfolio. Show the working, not just the answer.
Write these down the page, leaving room under each for your answer:
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