MSMI is pleased to announce its Fall 2012 Saturday series

Strategies for Elementary Mathematics: Harnessing Singapore’s Primary Mathematics

This is a 4 part series of workshops designed to introduce instructors and parents to the mathematical content and pedagogy of Singapore’s Primary Mathematics curriculum.

 Attendees will learn the what, why, and how of Singapore’s famous curriculum, and how to bring these strategies and concepts into their own classroom, regardless of their current curriculum. No prior knowledge of or use of Primary Mathematics is required.

 Taught in four half day sessions, these workshops help orient instructors to both the big picture goals of each year of elementary math instruction as well as the detailed methods and tasks used to ensure their students master both the conceptual understanding and procedural fluency of arithmetic, fractions, decimals, and more.

Sessions begin at early elementary level and extend through middle school level. Too often, students in the US reach algebra without having the foundational skills necessary to be successful in algebra and beyond.  It is critical for students to have mastered fractions, decimals, ratios, percents and proportions before beginning algebra.  If you have students who will be starting pre-algebra or algebra in the near future and you are concerned that these topics are not mastered, you would benefit from sessions 2, 3, and 4, which provide the why behind fractions, decimals, and related topics.

While registration for each of the workshops is independent, instructors and parents are strongly encouraged to attend all workshops leading up to their desired level of material. Primary Mathematics’ pedagogy runs coherently throughout the series, and the foundational skills for students will come from familiarity with those topics in earlier grades.

 Each session will take place at Macalester College, St. Paul, MN, in the Olin Science Center. Workshops begin at 9 AM and end at 2 PM, and will consist of lecture and discussion with ample time for questions and answers. There will be 2 15 minute breaks and a 30 minute break for lunch. The instructor for this institute is Allison Coates. Ms. Coates is the founder of MSMI, and holds an S.B. in Mathematics from MIT and an M.S. in Computer Science from University of California, Berkeley. 

 Workshop 1 on August 18, 2012, focuses on Primary Math’s Concrete->Pictorial->Abstract pedagogy and the concepts of equality, associativity, commutativity, distributivity, and place value. Specific concepts such as number stories, number bonds, making tens, mental math, and the importance of the standard algorithms in arithmetic for addition and subtraction are taught in depth. Appropriate for instructors and parents in grades K-3, this material corresponds to the content of Primary Math Levels 1A - 2B. 

Workshop 2 on September 15, 2012,  focuses on Primary Math’s Concrete->Pictorial->Abstract pedagogy as well as on the pedagogical value of the number line, and continues to deepen the concepts of equality, associativity, commutativity, distributivity, and place value. Specific concepts such as multiplication, division, fractions and decimals are taught in depth. Appropriate for instructors and parents in grades 2-6, this material corresponds to the content of Primary Math Levels 2A - 4B. 

Workshop 3 on October 13, 2012, focuses on Primary Math’s pedagogy and the use of bar models for problem solving. Bar modeling is a powerful technique that provides an important bridge between the pictorial and abstract elements of Primary Mathematics, and provides the foundations for algebra. Specific topics include bar modeling applied to multiplication, division, fractions, and decimals. Appropriate for instructors and parents in grades 3-7, this material corresponds to the content of Primary Math Levels 3A – 5B. 

Workshop 4 on November 17, 2012 focuses on Primary Math’s pedagogy and the use of the number line and bar modeling as they pertain to fractions, decimals, percents, rates, ratios, and more. Appropriate for instructors and parents in grades 3-7, this material corresponds to the content of Primary Math Levels 4A – 6B.

CEUs are available for teachers. Each session costs $50. Space is limited. Payments can be made by online on by check. For more information, please contact Allison Coates at allison@msmi-mn.org.

Register here for Session 1, August 18, 2012,  covering US grades k-3 (Primary math books 1A-2B) 

Register here for Session 2, September 15, 2012, covering US grades 2-6 (Primary math books 2A-4B)

Register here for Session 3, October 13, 2012, covering US grades 3-7 (Primary math books 3A-5B)

Register here for Session 4, November 17, 2012, covering US grades 3-7 (Primary math books 4A-6B)

Middle School Mathematics Institute (MSMI) is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit corporation with a mission to help teachers, schools, and parents ensure students succeed at school algebra.  Focused primarily on elementary and middle school grades 4-8, MSMI offers a variety of services that build the Bridge to Algebra.  For more information, please contact us at www.msmi-mn.org or 612-293-MSMI.