Siria from Balfour Beatty joined our year 9 maths learners for a masterclass on pie charts.
Siria is a Graduate Highways Design Engineer. Having worked on road design, drainage systems, road signs and road markings, traffic management and many other projects, she is required to use maths throughout her working day.
To begin the session, Siria discussed how her job role requires her to process data and discussed ways this data can be presented. Our visitor demonstrated the importance of presenting data using charts by comparing a paragraph of information to the same information presented using pie charts. Learners found it was easier to interpret the pie chart than the paragraph of information.
After establishing the importance of charts, learners moved onto the main topic: using pie charts to explore data on renewable energy- specifically wind turbines. Siria shared the importance of sustainability as one of the core company values of Balfour Beatty and how renewable energy plays an integral role in achieving this. The class engaged in a group discussion exploring the possibility of using renewable energies to move vehicles.
| Transport accounted for 29% of greenhouse gas emissions in 2020. 57% of these emissions come from cars. The combined effect of EVs and renewable power sources would help obtaining a emissions-free power grid, resulting in a 90% decline in emissions from light-duty vehicles. |
After an interactive exploration of the key concepts of the masterclass, learners moved onto the following tasks:
Draw a pie chart to represent the annual market share of different wind turbine manufactures.
Draw and interpret a pie chart representing the different substructure foundation types used in 2014.
Draw a pie chart to represent the top three electric vehicle sales by country.
Using pie chart to complete frequency tables, worded problems related to pie charts and understanding internal angles.
The session was concluded with an opportunity to for learners to ask Siria any questions about her career pathway and job role in the company.
‘Thanks to this masterclass learners gained insight into a leading company and the work they are doing to promote sustainability. Learners also thoroughly explored pie charts, a topic found on the curriculum, and learnt about this topic from an industry perspective,’ Lena, Maths Teacher.
