UISG's Newsletter Issue 3 | December | Page 12

December 2017

Message from Head of Secondary - MR. Robert Service

Secondary Mathematics Workshop for Parents - "Making the Invisible Visible"

On Wednesday, December 6 Secondary parents were invited to a hands-on workshop to discover what MYP and DP mathematics are all about. MYP/DP Mathematics teacher Ingrid Delange lead the parents through a number of activities. The format was interactive and computer-based which was both challenging and engaging and mirrored what happens in our classes.

In one activity, parents were shown an online game where no instructions were provided. Parents soon realized that the only way forward was to take risks, make mistakes and then learn from those mistakes to build their understanding. This type of approach means that students (parents) need to employ critical and creative thinking skills intermixed with their knowledge of mathematics. When the activity was over the parents discussed the approaches to learning skills they used and the mathematics involved (ratios). In this way, the invisible was made visible.

Parents also were shown the pathways between the two levels of MYP mathematics and the three levels of DP mathematics. Some parents who had come in wanting to know why the school wasn't focusing more on knowledge and understanding gained an appreciation for why the International Baccalaureate stresses other aspects such as communication and using mathematics in real-life situations.

The Secondary School looks forward to hosting more interactive parent workshops in the future. Our next workshop is on adolescent development on January 31.

Special thanks go to the UPTA for helping to facilitate these Secondary Parent Workshops. It is great to build the home and school connections!

In one activity, parents were shown an online game where no instructions were provided. Parents soon realized that the only way forward was to take risks, make mistakes and then learn from those mistakes to build their understanding. This type of approach means that students (parents) need to employ critical and creative thinking skills intermixed with their knowledge of mathematics. When the activity was over the parents discussed the approaches to learning skills they used and the mathematics involved (ratios). In this way, the invisible was made visible.

Parents also were shown the pathways between the two levels of MYP mathematics and the three levels of DP mathematics. Some parents who had come in wanting to know why the school wasn't focusing more on knowledge and understanding gained an appreciation for why the International Baccalaureate stresses other aspects such as communication and using mathematics in real-life situations.

The Secondary School looks forward to hosting more interactive parent workshops in the future. Our next workshop is on adolescent development on January 31.

Special thanks go to the UPTA for helping to facilitate these Secondary Parent Workshops. It is great to build the home and school connections!

Robert Service | Head of Secondary, UISG

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