Interactive Workshop low-cost Teaching Aids Mathematics
Early October 2015 all mathematics teacher trainers of the 18 Provincial Teacher Training Centres (PTTC) joined an interactive workshop teaching aids at the PTTC in Kampot and Battambang. The purpose of that training was to be able to make teaching aids, and to bring across the importance of integrating teaching aids in mathematics lessons, to improve teaching and learning. The teacher trainers will subsequently transfer that awareness to their student teachers. These student teachers will then be able to apply the teaching aids in their maths lessons in their future primary schools, because all teaching aids are made with low-cost materials.
Making Teaching Aids
The participants first practiced with making different teaching aids (trundle wheels, scales, digital clocks, geoboards, fraction circles, etc.) and were asked to teach part of a lesson using those.
At each PTTC according to the curriculum a teacher trainer is giving a weekly workshop on how to make teaching aids. Communication between this workshop teacher trainer and the mathematics teacher trainers is not always ideal. Therefore the workshop teacher trainers were also invited to attend this training, to ensure that they both share experience and cooperate more in the future.
Teaching aids fair
The mathematic and workshop teacher trainers brought their teaching aids they have produced and used in the maths lessons to display in the teaching aids fair. It was an opportunity for them to share their knowledge of and skills in producing and using effective teaching aids. The basic raw materials were provided at the fair and the participants tried producing teaching aids they were interested with the support from the experienced teacher trainers.
Measurement Circuit
Especially the Measurement Circuit was an entertaining part of the training. In small groups participants moved around from one assignment to another to practice measuring in many different ways; A fun activity easy to duplicate with student teachers and pupils.
The support book in which the development and usage of the teaching aids is described is approved by the Ministry of Education Youth and Sport and will be provided in a nice-lay outed version early 2016 to all PTTCs and a number of practice schools. “This training provided an opportunity for participants to join and learn new useful skills and knowledge to apply in the classroom” said one of the mathematics teacher trainers.
Written by Mr Leap Van, Education Advisor Mathematics
