Sunday, October 28, 2012

MAT150 BSc06 Wheelock College / SEED Institute Entry 2

Sample Test Item

Practice for Test on Saturday

Ms Mitra is preparing small gift packs for the children in her class.

Each pack consists of
- three pencils
- a ruler
- five pieces of milk candies

She already has a large box of 50 pencils and 100 pieces of milk candies.
She has access to any number of rulers she needs.

Task (a) [5 points]
Work out the largest number of gift packs Ms Mitra can make.

Task (b) [5 points]
Make a sketch of a figure that can be folded into a box to hold the pencils, ruler and milk candies.
State the assumptions you make and label the dimensions.

Task (c) [5 points]
Name or describe the problem-solving heuristics you used to solve the 'problem'.
Explain why the task is a problem to a primary-level child.

Task (d) [5 points]
Explain how this task can be modified for it to be suitable for K2 children.

Each task can be completed in about 15 minutes.

Monday, October 22, 2012

MAT150 BSc06 Wheelock College / SEED Institute Entry 1

Welcome to the course on mathematical problem solving with extension to other domains!

You must have received the course information by now and should be doing the pre-course task.
Please submit this during class on 29th October 2012.

Other than that, there is no other preparation you need to make except to come to class and participate in the problem-solving process and distil some pedagogical principles in teaching problem solving to children in the domain of numeracy and other domains.

See you in class.


Children did some artwork after learning about Great Fire 1666 that happened in London. This is at a school in London. Students created buildings using straws and coloured paper. What problems can students solve as they are preparing to create their art piece? There is always problem-solving opportunity in all the activities that children do.


Monday, September 3, 2012

Development of Numeracy for Early Childhood Education

This course was organized by Ministry of Education, Singapore.

EAI Education website shows different manipulatives available for the learning of numeracy.

Day 1



Day 2

Saturday, July 21, 2012

SEED Institute EDU330 BSc06/2012 Post 4 Blogging

You must have the following blog entries, at least. The first entry to document your pre-course reading. The first day of class entry on what you found interesting. You also need to share one thing that you have read about whole numbers in the textbook. Do not forgot that you need to also include one entry on technology. The reflection blog is on three things you learned and two questions that you still have.

The course has ended but the learning continues even as you work with your friends on the literature - maths tasks plus your fieldwork for the final assignment.

Please tidy up your notebook (submit with final assignment). And if you are absent on any day, please do the required make-up work (see Post 2).

Take a bit of time to vote for your favourite class activity.



Thursday, July 19, 2012

SEED Institute EDU330 BSc06/2012 Post 3 Quiz 1-3

Quiz 1 comprised two items related to teaching of ordinal numbers.

Quiz 2 comprised a series of math trail activities on various measurement, geometry and statistics topics.

This was Quiz 3.

Write word problems that can be solved by doing 3/4 divide by 2 and 2 divided by 3/4.

On the days you are absent please complete the necessary make-up work (see Post 2) and submit them with the final assignment.


Monday, July 16, 2012

SEED Institute EDU330 BSc06/2012 Post 2 Information on Quiz

In Post 1 or the first post for this class, I have shown a photograph of how students have made a mural using square sheets of paper. A content-related quiz task could require you to find the number of sheets of square paper needed for that mural. You will be asked to give more than one way to arrive at an answer. You may also be given an extension task based on the basic task. A pedagogy-related quiz task could require you to explain why a child respond in the way that he or she did. Sample Task Jon wrote 4 during independent written work where there is a picture of a box of 10 sweets and a tray showing 3 sweets. Suggest Jon's misconception. Describe one teaching strategy in teaching counting to 20. Please come punctually in order to have the opportunity to complete the quiz. Please drop your response to each day's quiz by 6.10 p.m. for it to be graded. You may also complete the quiz during the break (if you are late for class) or at home (if you are absent for a day). These will be graded but some credit will be taken off the final score. Please submit all responses by Saturday's class. There is no Quiz on Monday and Saturday. If you are absent on any day, please drop me an e-mail message. You are also required to complete a make up task which is essentially a two-page answer to the key questions for each session. The key questions are in the Course Information. Please submit these as Appendix to your Final Assignment.

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

SEED Institute EDU330 BSc06/2012 Post 1 Welcome

Welcome! The course has started. You must have received your Course Information. Pre-course assignments include reading Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 and blog key learning points. It is a blog - give readers the big picture and your views on what you read. Also start a blog and send me the link. I have created links for those who has sent me the link by 12 noon of 16 July. Contact me if you have questions.
Photo: How many sheets of square paper are needed to make this mural? Source: Pathlight School. Students expressing their thanks to their teachers at the end of the last school year.

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Common Mistakes in Science & Mathematics

1. Asking children who is first in a race when they are shown a drawing of a few kids finishing a race. (How does one tell who is first?! One can predict but cannot tell for sure.)

2. Using line graph to show the results of voting for their favourite colour. (What graph is more apporpriate? Why is line graph incorrect?)

3. Things sink because it is big. (Small marble siks but large piece of foam floats!)

4. A drinking glass is put over a burning candle placed on a tray of water. Water level rises. Why? (It is not because oxygen is used up and the water level rises to take the space used to be occupied by oxygen.)

Finally, why is the adding vinegar to baking powder model not a good one to show volvanic eruption? See video.

Sunday, April 1, 2012

Thursday, March 15, 2012

What Children Need to Be Able to Count


John looks at the spread on the dining table and says cheerfully, "There are sixteen green apples."

For John to be able to say this, he needs to (1) have an awareness that numbers can be use to tell amount (use of numbers as cardinal numbers) (2) be able to recite numbers, at least to sixteen, in the correct order (3) be able to perform one-to-one correspondence (4) be able to classify.

Anyway, a friend just told a (real) conversation that happened recently.

My friend: I went to the IT Show at Suntec and got myself iPad2. My friend got iPad3.

His colleague: So you guys got 5 iPads lah.

My friend: Huh?! No lah. Just two.

His colleague: I thought you said you got iPad, two and your friend got iPad, three. Five altogether, what.

:) One is using number as a cardinal number and the other, as an ordinal number.

Sunday, March 11, 2012

Degree Programme at SIM University

The course begins this Wednesday. We will discuss theory, practice and issues connected to the teaching of mathematics, science and technology to young children.

The class will meet for six Wednesdays.

You have your textbook. The study guide helps you focus your readings. The seminars clarify and extend your learning.

Each seminars is organised around around case studies to facilitate discussion.

Seminar 1/6 on 14 March 2012