Mr Jeff Cheong
President, Tribal Worldwide

Abstract: Creativity has always been associated as an in-born ability; an X-factor; non-linear and something that cannot be taught. But little known to many people, creativity is actually a logical process that requires discipline to perfect the equation of art and science. In this lecture I will unpack the formulae to understand and apply creativity from the boardroom to the classroom.

Prof Keiko Hino
Utsunomiya University

Abstract: Mathematics instruction needs to be understood from multiple perspectives and involves a variety of factors. One of these factors is the goal (or objective) of the lesson(s) that the teacher has in mind. The nature of the goal, as well as how explicitly the teacher states it in his/her lesson, may differ from lesson to lesson. Nevertheless, the teacher’s goal of the lesson can be said to strongly affect his/her decisions in choosing mathematical tasks and organizing activities and interactions in the classroom. Therefore, this presentation will examine the importance of goals of the lesson by drawing on several studies, and illustrate classroom interactions in terms of how they are channelized toward the goal and what roles the teacher plays. The analysis will provide information on teaching actions influencing children’s learning opportunities.

Dr Dawn Ng Kit Ee
National Institute of Education Singapore

Abstract: Student engagement is a multi-dimensional construct comprising at least four interacting dimensions: cognitive, behavioural, emotional, and relational engagement. A classroom climate conducive to student engagement in all four dimensions is crucial in the transition from teacher-driven to student-motivated engagement. Such positive classroom climate also paves the way for sustainability in student engagement. Task design is one of the many aspects teachers can consider to foster student engagement in mathematics. This lecture will present selected examples of tasks for primary mathematics classrooms, explore some principles in task designs, and discuss possible teacher facilitation approaches towards student engagement in mathematics.

Prof Padmanabhan Seshaiyer
George Mason University

Abstract: Mathematical modeling is a cyclic iterative process that involves authentic problem posing, open-endedness, making assumptions, identifying constraints and variables, building mathematical solutions, and finally, analyzing and interpreting these solutions. In this session, participants will have an opportunity to learn about successful pedagogical practices through mathematical modeling tasks aligned to curriculum standards that engage students in a collaborative problem solving process. We will also discuss how this process can provide an opportunity for teachers to develop in-depth content knowledge and productive disposition toward mathematical modeling as well as how it helps to foster the 21st century skills of critical thinking, creativity, communication and collaboration for students. We will also discuss effective strategies to scaffold the learning of the students as young modelers as they transition through the mathematical modeling process.

Prof Choy Ban Heng
National Institute of Education Singapore

Abstract: Clearly, the design of a task, the perceived affordances of a task, and how the task is used in the classroom to initiate activity by students, can potentially enhance the learning experiences of our students. Task and activity are often seen as the same thing. Are they really the same? Does it matter? Furthermore, orchestrating mathematically meaningful learning experiences for our students demands teachers to notice the mathematics, the task design, and their students’ activities simultaneously. But how can teachers be supported to do this challenging work? In this lecture, I will argue why a distinction between task and activity is critical, share some design principles for mathematics tasks, and explore how teachers can use tasks to provide an engaging learning experience for their students.

Prof Yap Von Bing
National University of Singapore

Abstract: Probability has many vivid examples, but also subtle concepts. This talk is about selecting examples for teaching at the H2 level. The basic principle is the frequency interpretation of probability. Topics like dependence, sampling and hypothesis tests will be discussed in some detail, and illustrated with H2 examination problems and the case of Sally Clark.

Prof Ho Weng Kin
National Institute of Education Singapore

Abstract: In this talk, I give a first-person narrative of the changing landscape in teaching and learning ‘A’ level Mathematics in Singapore through the past twenty years: a student, a teacher, a mathematician, a ‘mathematician educator’.