Concept-Based Courses

Core Courses

PMC1001: Key Learning Theories for the Teaching and Learning of Primary Mathematics
How do we influence the way teachers teach and students learn Mathematics? This course aims to highlight five key learning theories which will help shape classroom practices and enable children to build strong mathematical conceptual understanding and process skills. Various instructional approaches and strategies will be discussed using different topics across grade levels.

PMC1002: Effective Lesson Planning for High Quality Learning
An effective lesson which ensures high-quality learning is the result of active lesson planning. In this course, participants will learn how to define an ‘effective lesson’, use four critical questions to guide active lesson planning, and anticipate children’s varied responses and brainstorm differentiated strategies for both advanced and struggling learners in Mathematics.

PMC1003: Learning Mathematics through Reasoning and Communication
This course focuses on mathematical reasoning and communication skills which are part of the highly-valued 21st century competencies. Participants will be able to learn instructional strategies and use carefully constructed learning tasks to hone these skills in classroom teaching. Implications for educators to promote the development of such 21st century competencies at school-wide level will also be discussed.

PMC1004: Using Heuristics to Solve Challenging Problems
Do your pupils struggle with solving challenging problems? Do you wonder how we can teach problem-solving processes more effectively? This course focuses on using effective scaffolding questions to diagnose pupils’ difficulties in problem solving and coach them to use various heuristics to tackle Mathematics problems.

PMC1005: Use of Model Method in Problem Solving
This course aims to help participants understand the rationale of model method as a critical heuristic in problem solving. Participants will be introduced to different types of models (e.g. part-whole, comparison and changing models) used to solve word problems across grade levels. Pupils’ difficulties and weaknesses in drawing models will also be discussed and addressed.

PMC1006: Summative Assessment - An Integral Component of Learning and Teaching
How do we design a valid and balanced test to provide an accurate measure of pupils’ mastery of knowledge, understanding of concepts and application of skills? Are we able to measure the efficiency of the curriculum and instructional strategies in the achievement of intended learning goals? This course aims to help participants design a table of specifications, create questions with varying cognitive demands and develop answer keys and marking schemes.

PMC1007: Techniques for Effective Mathematics Classroom Management
Every child is different, unpredictable, and has different cognitive abilities. Understanding is key when learning Mathematics, and as educators, managing the teaching of Mathematics in the classroom to provide space for pupils to understand is key in enabling learning. This course aims to equip teachers with techniques that can help capture students’ attention, as well as suggestions for activities that may elicit cooperation so as to ensure that each child has a positive environment to learn effectively.

Elective Courses

PMC1101: Transition from Early Childhood Numeracy to Primary Mathematics
There has been a keen interest for pre-school educators and parents to find out about education trends in Primary Mathematics and address concerns about bridging children from Early Childhood Numeracy to Primary Mathematics. This course aims to help participants understand core ideas in learning Numeracy, use learning tasks to consolidate learning of basic concepts and develop mathematical thinking and understand the emphasis in the Primary Mathematics Curriculum so as to better prepare children for the transition to formal learning in primary schools.

PMC1102: Differentiated Instruction for Mixed Ability Learners
‘One size does not fit all’. Differentiated instruction is of paramount importance in a mixed ability classroom. This course aims to help participants understand models of differentiated teaching and learning, use instructional approaches and strategies to differentiate between process and product, and observe and assess the quality of children’s thinking and learning so as to inform future instruction.

PMC1103: Enhancing Mathematical Thinking using Thinking Routines
Have you ever wondered what children think and learn in your lessons? A group of professors from Harvard University advocated the use of thinking routines to make thinking visible. This course aims to help participants understand the features of thinking routines, use different thinking routines to develop critical and creative thinking as well as communication skills and explore how thinking routines can be used to create a thinking culture in the classroom over a sustained period of time.

PMC1104: Alternative Assessments
Assessment is more than tests and scores. Are there other assessment tools which can provide accurate and useful information about different aspects of students’ learning such as developing mathematical concepts, skills and thinking, positive attitudes as well as problem-solving ability? This course aims to help participants understand different types of assessment and their purposes (e.g. classroom observation and journal writing), design different types of rubrics and provide quality feedback on students’ learning.

PMC1105: Teacher as a Reflective Practitioner through Lesson Study
Lesson study is a professional development activity which has originated and sustained in Japan for more than a century. This form of collaborative and practice based professional learning allows teachers to grow in the most authentic situations such as observing ‘live’ lessons, particularly children’s learning in real classrooms. This course aims to help participants gain an overview of lesson study, understand the lesson study cycle and have a greater insight into the benefits and challenges in implementing lesson study.

Content-Based Courses

PMC 1201: Teaching of Addition and Subtraction of Whole Numbers
This course provides an insight into the teaching of whole numbers, specifically in addition and subtraction. The use of number bonds and place values are also included. A variety of questions on problem solving and interesting lesson ideas will be discussed and used as examples.

PMC 1202: Teaching of Multiplication and Division of Whole Numbers
In this course, participants will be given an insight into the teaching of whole numbers, specifically in multiplication and division. The concepts of multiplication and division algorithms are included. A variety of questions on problem solving and interesting lesson ideas will be discussed and used as examples.

PMC 1203: Teaching of Fractions and Decimals
Fractions and decimals may be abstract topics for some learners. In this course, participants will learn how to make use of concrete materials and bar models to teach these topics. Fundamental concepts of equal parts and equivalent fractions, as well as how to convert between fractions and decimals, are included.

PMC 1204: Teaching of Geometry
In this course, participants will learn effective strategies to teach concepts of lines, angles, shapes, symmetry and tessellation. Properties of triangles and quadrilaterals are included. Various strategies to find unknown angles in a given diagram will be discussed.

PMC 1205: Teaching of Mensuration
This course provides participants with opportunities to explore various strategies of teaching length, perimeter, area, mass and volume. A variety of real-life applications of mensuration will be discussed so as to allow pupils to further appreciate Mathematics.

PMC 1206: Teaching of Statistics
In this course, participants discuss effective approaches to teach statistics, which involves collecting, representing and interpreting data. Ideas on the use of statistics in the real world will be covered and the concept of average will be included.