S1: What kinds of mathematical reasoning could we teach and students learn at the secondary level (Room No: TR 714)
Prof Jiansheng Bao
Department of Mathematics, East China Normal University
Abstract: Mathematical reasoning is not only an object of mathematics teaching and learning, but also a way for students’ to learn and understand mathematics deeply. This workshop will show some different mathematical reasoning tasks and activities and discuss what kinds of mathematical reasoning are suitable for the secondary level.
S2: Using student-generated ideas to teach through productive failure (Room No: Seminar Room Blk 5)
Prof Manu Kapur
Hong Kong Institute of Education
Abstract: This workshop will illustrate how student generated ideas can be used to teach through productive failure. Participants will be engaged in hands-on work during the workshop.
S3: A 3-stage framework to foster student memory for mathematics learning (Room No: TR 715)
Dr Wong Khoon Yoong
Consultant
Abstract: Learning mathematics requires students to remember different types of information, such as the meanings and examples of concepts, procedures used to solve standard problems, and justifications of mathematics principles. Students who have difficulty consolidating these ideas may forget what they have learned, recall only partial or even flawed procedures, or mix up formulae, such as 2πr and πr2. A 3-stage framework based on information processing theories can be used to help them overcome this difficulty. It consists of strategies for encoding information, maintaining the information in long term memory, and retrieving relevant information during problem solving. At this workshop, participants will discuss how to apply these strategies to help students better learn secondary mathematics topics.
S4: Empowering students through inquiry: the Australian Mathematics by Inquiry project (Room No: TR 721)
Dr Steve Thornton
Australian Academy of Science
Abstract: Mathematics by Inquiry is an Australian Government funded project designed to promote inquiry approaches to mathematics from Kindergarten to year 10. The approach adopted empowers students to reason mathematically, emphasizing the key aspects of formulating complex problems and communicating and evaluating the solution. The project is producing exemplary materials for students and professional learning resources for teachers, informed by Australian and international best practice. In this workshop we will present the Mathematics by Inquiry Protocol, a framework used to inform the development of all materials in the project and to provide teachers with a robust theoretical and practical framework for teaching inquiry-oriented mathematics lessons. We will also demonstrate some of the draft resources being developed for students and teachers.
S5: Problem solving as a way of empowering our students (Room No: TR 722)
Prof Toh Tin Lam
National Institute of Education, Singapore
Abstract: This workshop introduces the rationale of how problem solving can be used in the school mathematics classrooms to empower our students in acquisition of mathematical knowledge. The participants will be introduced to different approaches of teaching mathematics in the secondary school mathematics classrooms through problem solving coupled with technology and visual aids.
S6: Empowering mathematics learners through exploratory tasks (Room No: TR 708)
Dr. Ariyadi Wijaya
Mathematics Education Department, Yogyakarta State University, Indonesia
Abstract: Mathematical empowerment is often connected to the ability to fluently use mathematical knowledge and skills. It implies that mathematics learning should support students’ acquisition of not only concepts, but also skills and various strategies of problem solving. A possible way to empower mathematics learners is through the use of exploratory mathematics tasks. An exploratory task could lead students to exploratory activity, which might include interpreting situations in mathematical terms, formulating mathematics questions, making conjectures, exploring various strategies, and making generalizations. This workshop provides the idea and examples of how to use exploratory mathematics tasks to empower mathematics learners. For this purpose, participants of this workshop will experience a set of exploratory tasks. The next activity will be discussing the principles for designing exploratory mathematics tasks and strategies to engage students in such tasks.
S7: uCan fuel thinking to empower students too (Room No: TR 709)
Prof Chua Boon Liang
MME/ NIE
Questions that seek justification help students to clarify their thinking and hence deepen their understanding of concepts. But weaker students tend to fear and shun such questions. In this workshop, I will present some practical suggestions for supporting students in mathematical reasoning and justification in the classroom, and on using assessment as learning to empower and prepare students to take charge of their own learning.
S8: Using practice tasks to empower mathematics learners (Room No: TR 710)
Prof Berinderjeet Kaur & Wong Lai Fong
National Institute of Education, Singapore / Anderson Secondary School
Abstract: An empowered learner is an individual who is inquisitive, reflective, enthusiastic and autonomous. Essentially we may say that an empowered leaner is one who takes charge of his or her learning. How can we empower our students to take charge of their learning? One possible way is through practice tasks. As the instructional purpose of such tasks may be to provide students with an opportunity to review material that has already been presented in class, or prepare them in advance for work to be done in class the next day or later on, or engage them in transfer of previously learned skills to new situations (Lee & Pruitt, 1979), this workshop will engage participants in examining how we may use practise tasks to empower mathematics learners.
S9: Mentoring mathematics projects (Room No: TR 711)
Dr Gwee Hwee Ngee
Hwa Chong Institution
Abstract: In this workshop, the presenter will share her experience on mentoring and nurturing students from posing a Mathematics problem to the completion of Mathematics Projects. She will also share ideas, resources and websites on how to develop a Mathematics Project.
S10: Use of open investigative tasks to empower mathematics learners (Room TR 712)
Dr Joseph Yeo B. W.
National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
Abstract: In this workshop, the participants will learn how to use open mathematical investigative tasks to empower secondary school students to think and solve problems like mathematicians. Although the mathematical contents of these tasks are at the secondary school level, the thought processes are similar to what mathematicians do in their academic lives: posing problems to investigate, specialising (i.e. examining specific cases), conjecturing, justifying (i.e. testing and proving conjectures), generalising, etc. The participants will come to appreciate that these mathematical thinking processes are not very different from problem-solving processes needed to solve real-world problems in the workplace or in daily lives.
S11: Teaching Mathematics in a Networked Environment by Caroline Tng, Raffles Girls’ School (Room TR 713)
Caroline Tng, Raffles Girls’ School
Abstract: This hands-on workshop will illustrate how a networked environment can help foster student participation in the lesson, and promote deeper understanding of Mathematical concepts through the use of technology. Participants will experience how numeric, algebraic, and graphical concepts can be brought together with the aid of technology.