Saheti puts spotlight on mathematics
Over 250 teachers from schools across the country attended Saheti’s conference on Friday, May 23.
The conference, titled ‘Metacognition in the Classroom, Maths Matters’, was a platform for authorities in mathematics education to provide their input on the teaching and assessment of mathematics.
The conference was also a platform to set strategies aimed at equipping pupils with modern skills, not only for mathematics, but also in other learning areas.
Keynote speaker Dr Jane Hofmeyr, a senior consultant at the Centre for Development and Enterprise, presented key national research findings on influences in pupils achievement, which reinforced the importance of language.
According to Dr Hofmeyr, a pupil’s reading proficiency in any language is the best predictor of maths achievement, while a teacher’s language competency affects their ability to convey mathematical concepts. Mathematical thinking should form an important part of teacher education.
Professor Hamsa Venkatakrishnan, from the SA Numeracy Chair at Wits, highlighted the need to develop number sense in children by developing a visual sense of the scale of numbers.
Prof Venkatakrishnan provided examples of building fluencies and strategies to acquire number system knowledge and advocated working flexibly for efficiency and being playful with mathematics to make tasks work in a pedagogical and mathematical sense.
Dr Stephen Sproule, Deputy Head of Academics at Penryn College, explored the process of preparing lifelong learners for mathematics. He outlined the teacher’s role in developing the pupil’s ability to make decisions in choosing appropriate strategies to answer mathematical questions.
“The teacher remains a motivating and reassuring force through this sometimes unsettling approach,” said Dr Sproule.
Ms Kate Cowling, the head of mathematics at Uplands College, emphasised the teacher’s vision as well as the look and feel of the classroom. Ms Kate Cowling encouraged teachers to introduce technology and real life problems to explore understanding.
A presentation by John Luis, a senior deputy head at the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls and a national IEB examiner for mathematics, compared global trends in maths curricula and assessment. She revealed that authorities around the world are pushing the boundaries to take the subject to another level, including redesigning the curriculum to meet the needs of modern times.
Saheti’s Primary School Principal, Ms Sophia Zachariou, who was the driving force behind this conference said, “The presentations provided meaningful engagement on the common theme of preparing students to become 21st century citizens. As educators, our ability to think and teach mathematically within the context of the real world is critical.” @BedfordEdenvale
