Educators to target deficiencies at upcoming math conference

Western Bureau:

A conference aimed at fixing the weaknesses in the teaching of mathematics, as well as changing negative perceptions of the subject, will be held on November 23 in Granville, St James.

Konnor Peters, math lecturer and head of the Sam Sharpe Teachers’ College (SSTC) mathematics department, says the conference is being organised against the background of the low pass rates for local and regional examinations which the country has been registering for the past four years.

“We’re not seeing an upward trajectory in terms of the performance at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) level,” said Peters who shared that the low pass rates in mathematics examinations will be the concern of a team of professionals participating in a western Jamaica conference dubbed ‘Sharp Mathematics 2022’and will be held at the Sam Sharpe Teachers’ College (SSTC).

Compared with the 2022 results of the CSEC, fewer students received passing grades in mathematics. In fact, only 37 per cent of those who sat the exams received passing grades, a figure which represents a five per cent decline from 2021.

Peters says the math conference will be held under the theme ‘Aligning our Trajectory to the Future of Mathematics’ and is designed to achieve several outcomes, including improvements in Primary Exit Profile and CSEC results.

He said the larger thrust is to create a learning community of math educators within western Jamaica and in the long term, build a culture of research.

“Studies are showing that there are different cultural differences here in Jamaica and we’re trying to find out how these cultures influence the performance in mathematics.” the SSTC math head of department noted.

Peters notes that while SSTC is known mostly for its primary education programme, in the last three years it has also been focusing on the secondary math programme.

“More needs to be done in terms of culture, and its correlation with mathematics came out of this programme,” he observed. “Some persons will come in as students showing a willingness to do the secondary programme but do not stay the course.”

The rationale for this practice, according to Peters, is largely “they lack an attitude of perseverance or tend to lose focus on completing the course. There is also the fear of math and an unrealistic expectation that it should be easy when, historically, it hasn’t been. It is a subject that challenges you and through the challenges, you rise to a higher level of thinking and reasoning.”

The conference will explore topics including the history of mathematics, the subcultures and their influences on mathematics, best practices in the subject, the digitisation of math, areas of teaching in the global environment, the transition from physical to digital tools, along with the conversion of classroom processes into an automated operation.

The conference is expected to feature presentations from Maureen Dwyer, acting permanent secretary in the Ministry of Education and Youth (MOEY), National Mathematics Coordinator Dr Tamika Benjamin; and Kareema Mundell-Thomas, MOEY Region 1 and 2019 Jamaica Mathematics Teacher of the Year.