The recently held international conference on Mathematics gave a worldwide perspective on how to make the study of the subject more interesting.
Excellence in any subject is directly related to the teacher. And so it is with Mathematics. Hey Math! recently held an international conference that addressed the subject of nurturing excellence in Mathematics. “Global Perspectives on Excellence” had four speakers from different parts of the world highlighting the need to train teachers of Mathematics.
The first speaker was Ms. Toni Beardon, Founder and Director, the NRICH project, Cambridge University. She spoke about what makes an effective Mathematics teacher from Cambridge to Cape Town.
Dr. G. Balasubramaniam, Ex-Director Academics, CBSE, underlined the learning of Mathematics through discovery.
An adventure
The third speaker was Dr. Heski Azieli, Chairman, Israel Centre for Excellence through Education. In his address, Mr. Azieli focussed on turning the study of Maths into joy and adventure. Challenging neglected students is one of the main goals needed to be achieved. As the world becomes a more challenging and sophisticated place, the need to be competent with numbers is growing.
Mr. Azieli stressed the need for teachers to have a variety of methods with which to train students. He noted that India is a key player in joining the international web of creating excellence in mathematics.
Mrs. Priscilla Krempl, Retired Principal and senior official from the Ministry of Education Singapore, spoke about the factors that make Singapore a consistently high performing country in Maths and Science. She said that schools where the local language was spoken and where the children felt safe was where the highest success rates where observed.
Unlike popular perceptions of Mathematics, all students can do Mathematics if encouraged, she said. The teaching of mathematics should pervade every subject — Art, English and Music teachers should be competent in Mathematics.
The programme ended with a vote of thanks and a Hey Math Zone
experience.
