Math Circle Seminar on Building Blocks: The Repeat

Last January 14-16, 2009, APSA sponsored once again a seminar-workshop for Math teachers on “Building Math Concepts Using Visual Models”.

This time, the seminar was set for three days for a more comprehensive and hands-on workshop aimed to assist educational institutions in improving their instructors’ competencies and teaching strategies in math.

Dr. George Gagnon, an exceptional professor from the University of California, Berkeley, conducted the three-day seminar-workshop. Building blocks were the primary instruments used in the explanation of the presented math concepts and in the learning activities during the seminar-workshop.

On the first day of the seminar-workshop, foundations of Math (place value, number relationships and applied operations) and their importance were recounted, as the comprehension of these concepts is necessary for students’ success. On the second day, algebra (operations and equations) and proportions (reasoning and equations) were tackled. Abacus was also discussed as a significant player in the history of Math.

The Math Circle hopes that the seminar-workshop will help both instructors and students in teaching and learning math.