by Rachel Poff, PYP Coordinator, Lakeside Campus -

“Mathematics is not about numbers, equations, computations or algorithms: it is about understanding.” William Paul Thurston

Every year in October, the teaching staff at CIS is fortunate enough to partake in a weekend of professional development. Developing lifelong learners is part of the mission of the International Baccalaureate, and as members of the IB community, teachers need to lead by example and develop their own professional portfolio.

This year, Keith Bland arranged for Dr. Mariam Small to provide workshops for both lower and upper primary teaching staff. Dr. Small is a well-regarded mathematician from Canada who focuses on hands-on, open-ended math investigations. These types of questions build critical thinking skills, are differentiated by their very nature, and allow students to talk about math and explain their logic. The workshops were very successful and the feedback from teachers was fantastic.

As a result of the enthusiasm that Dr. Small generated, the Math Focus Group was created. Teachers from SK to Grade 5 volunteered to participate in the group, not only develop their own mathematical knowledge, but to act as facilitators within their own teams. The group met and set ambitious goals for the year, including developing open-ended questions for each math strand within the CIS curriculum. The group also decided to build their own leadership capacity by offering workshops to staff and running small ignite sessions on Tuesday evenings. Ignite sessions are learning for teachers by teachers. Teachers volunteer their own time to share their skills, interests, and knowledge with other interested teachers.

Every member of the CIS Math Focus Group also joined the Association of Teachers of Mathematics (ATM) to build professional relationships within Singapore. Through this group, members attend sessions at schools across Singapore with teachers from Tanglin Trust, Dulwich, ISS and GESS. This provides additional opportunities to connect with teachers, share resources and engage in pedagogical conversations.

On Tuesday, 24 May, the CIS team had the opportunity host the final ATM meeting of the academic year. The focus of the evening was “Math in the Real World” hosted by Sarah Aspillaga. Teachers brought ideas and examples, engaged in conversation and shared their classroom experiences. The CIS team’s contribution was exceptional and the quality of work was outstanding. The conversations at the CIS hosted session were insightful and they left a very strong impression on our new colleagues.

Due to the dedication of its members, the Math Focus Group will continue next year. There is already a plan in place expand the group and further develop CIS programmes based on what has already been learned. I cannot thank the team enough for their dedication and enthusiasm in supporting this idea. A big thankyou to Mishelle Lyons, Shawn Perry, Sarah Aspillaga, Tina Morton, Kendra Jones, Carl Brown, Kevin Collins, Joe Teft and Chris Keller. Your leadership has been invaluable and your enthusiasm unparalleled.