Register now for a 3-workshop event, Singapore’s Primary Mathematics

This is a 3 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 or use of Primary Mathematics is required.

Taught in three morning 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.

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 8:30 AM and end at 12 PM, and will consist of lecture and discussion with ample time for questions and answers. 

Workshop 1 on October 26, 2013, 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 November 9, 2013, focuses on Primary Math’s Concrete->Pictorial->Abstract pedagogy 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 November 23, 2013, 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 2-6, this material corresponds to the content of Primary Math Levels 2B – 5B. 

3.5 CEUs are available for teachers for each workshop. 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 Workshop 1, October 26, 2013, covering US grades k-3 (Primary math books 1A-2B) 

Register here for Workshop 2, November 9, 2013, covering US grades 2-6 (Primary math books 2A-4B)

Register here for Workshop 3, November 23, 2013, covering bar models in US grades 2-6 (Primary math books 2B-5B)