Elementary School parents have had several opportunities recently to learn more about the mathematics program at WAB. In January, a workshop for all ES parents, “Thinking Mathematically,” was offered in both English and Chinese, and looked at how ES teachers develop mathematical thinking in students.
On February 25 and 26, a workshop titled, “Mathematics and the Number Strand,” was presented (in English and Chinese) to parents of students in ECC-Grade 1. The focus of the session was to provide an overview of the number strand in the PYP curriculum at WAB, to identify and offer concrete examples of how children learn number skills and the progression across grade levels, and to offer ways that parents can help at home.
Teachers discussed what good mathematics practice looks like in the Early Years - with play and exploration having a vital role in the learning and application of mathematical knowledge. In the PYP learning environment, students are involved in a range of activities that include authentic settings, which help support student learning by applying skills to real-life tasks. Details of the five content strands and the four phases of the mathematics program were explained.
Parents were encouraged to assist their children at home through a number of activities: counting; reading stories and rhymes that use numbers; playing games like Dominoes and cards; and singing songs that include numbers such as Five Little Ducks and Baa Baa Black Sheep.
These sessions have been well attended and well received by parents. Tracy Chen, PKC homeroom teacher, said of the most recent workshop, “ I have had very positive feedback from the Chinese parents. They found today's workshop very useful, especially with the concrete examples from different grade levels. It helped them to have a better understanding of how children learn mathematics at WAB.”
On March 3 and 4 there will be two additional workshops for parents of students in grades 2-5. “Mathematics and the Number Strand,” will focus on how students learn about numbers in these grade levels, and offer information on and practical examples of mathematics education in the ES. The March 3 workshop will be presented in English from 8:45am-10:00am in the Lotus Lounge and the March 4 workshop will be in Chinese, also from 8:45am-10:00am in the same location.
Highlighting the importance of mathematics education and with an ongoing commitment to professional development for its staff, WAB hosted mathematics expert, Charles Lovitt earlier this year for both a Weekend EARCOS Workshop and an additional week of sessions for ES, MS and HS teachers at WAB.
Charles Lovitt has been involved in mathematics professional development for many years. He has directed several Australian national and state mathematics education projects. He is the former national director of Mathematics Projects for the Australian Curriculum Corporation and generated such projects as The Mathematics Task Centre Project, the Chance and Data Project and more recently, the Maths300 Project. He is currently a consultant, and regular keynote and workshop presenter, both in Australia and internationally.
The weekend workshop, “Rich and Balanced Mathematics Classrooms – creative approaches to planning and classroom delivery strategies that fit the IB,” was offered to grade 1-10 teachers. Both the workshop and professional development sessions explored practical classroom activities and engaged teachers in discussion about a variety of topics related to teaching mathematics: open-ended investigative approaches, meaningful contexts, ICT integration, unit planning and alternative assessment to name a few.
Nicole Davidson, Grade 5 teacher, offered her thoughts on the training, “These workshops offered practical ways to differentiate instruction for students in the classroom and provided useful tips on how to extend lessons to help all students achieve success.”