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Ms.
Emer Egan, representing the Department of Education and
Science, officially opened the first annual conference of the
PTMA. Following this, the conference was addressed by
Ed Silver, Professor of Education and Mathematics at the
University of Michigan. A former classroom teacher, his
presentation reflected some of the principles of the Revised
Mathematics Curriculum, particularly in the area of problem
solving. He reinforced the significance of problem
posing, reasoning and problem solving at all class levels.
Following
this address, delegates were treated to a variety of practical
workshops including Mathematical Games, Use of Concrete
Materials and Language in Teaching Mathematics, Excel as a
Resource and Mathematics Recovery. A colleague attended an
excellent ‘hands on’ maths games workshop, while I
attended an absorbing presentation by Eunice Pitt on
her ‘Early Years Numeracy Project’, which was
conducted in Northern Ireland over a two-year period
(1999-2001) with children in their first two years at primary
school. Her ‘target group’ consisted of about 50 children
who presented as a group needing a little more time and
teaching than their peers to grasp mathematical concepts. She
believes that this ‘target group’ and indeed all children
need a broad range of teaching and learning approaches which
are only achievable through structured group teaching, using
activities that are carefully planned by the teacher and
pitched at an appropriate level for children to experience
success.
The
afternoon workshops once again offered ‘choice’ including Maths
Through Story, Problem Solving, Logo and Mathematical
Games for Senior Classes. Intrigued by maths through the
medium of story I attended a most informative session at which
the facilitator Liz Dunphy, a lecturer in Early
Childhood Education, outlined the mathematical potential of
books already sitting on the library shelves in many junior
classrooms. She provided a captive audience with endless
possibilities for integrating mathematics and story –
sequencing, pattern, counting, ordering to name but a few.
In
conclusion, I believe, that the first Annual Conference was a
dynamic success and I look forward to many future mathematical
experiences. Congratulations again and well done to all
involved.
Maura
Egan teaches in St. Thomas’s JNS, Esker, Lucan, Co. Dublin.
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