AME Institute for Mathematics (Primary) Teachers

Designing Tasks to Promote Mathematical Thinking In Primary School Singapore Task Design Institute Prof Anne Watson Oxford University (UK) May 28-29 2012 @ Academy of Singapore Teachers Click here to register Fee per participant $200.

Abstract

This institute aims to provide extended exploration of the nature of mathematical thinking in primary school mathematics, and from this experience to develop some principles for task design so that teachers can design their own tasks, or select and adapt others appropriately.

Tentative Programme

Session 1 – Monday 28th May 2012 (9.00 am – 12 noon)

• Extended exploration task to be undertaken in groups to generate ideas about what mathematical thinking is, how we do it, and how it is triggered in the task.
• What we do naturally and what needs to be educated, enculturated, habituated.
• Another task to test conjectures about mathematical thinking arising in the first task.

Session 2 - Monday 28th May 2012 (12.30pm – 4.30 pm)

• An aspect of primary mathematics, and what can be explored and generalised about it. How a task relates to concept.
• Variation and change; what changes and what stays the same.
• Seeing in different ways.
• Reflecting on the work so far in terms of a growing description of mathematical thinking.

Session 3 – Tuesday 29th May 2012 (9am – 1 pm)

• Designing a task relevant for a current topic.
• Evaluating tasks from published sources.
• Follow-on work and building a design community.