Maths Specialist Conducts Lesson with Grade-Five Students and Teachers

Leading PR1ME Mathematics Specialist from Singapore, Kelly Lim Kai Ling, recently conducted a special two-and-a-half-hour mathematics lesson with several grade-five students and two teachers from the New Providence Primary School in Kingston.

This session was facilitated by The Book Merchant Limited (BML), organiser of the Amazing Mathematics Powers (AMP)…PR1MEd for Success workshop, in collaboration with the Rotary Club of Liguanea Plains, which for the past 13 years has adopted the New Providence Primary School.

Ms. Lim Kai Ling was in Jamaica to lead the sessions at the second staging of the AMP…PR1MEd for Success workshop, which was held from August 21 to 23 at the Shortwood Teachers’ College, in Kingston.

“We took advantage of the visit of the Singaporean trainer to assist teachers and students at the New Providence Primary School. The teachers observed the lesson, which will assist them as they prepare for their own lesson delivery for the new National Standards Curriculum and the Primary Exit Profile (PEP),” Chief Executive Officer of BML, Sharon Neita, told JIS News.

President of the Rotary Club of Liguanea Plains, Howard Smith, welcomed the opportunity to collaborate with the BML, as education and literacy is one of six areas of focus for the club.

“We thought it was a good idea to partner with another company to do maths intervention, which is essential, based on the current challenges that persons are having with (the subject),” he explained.

The service club provided lunch for all the participants. Feedback from all present at the session was very positive.

For student, Kebra Simpson, the teaching session by Ms. Lim Kai Ling was fun. “She explained the information clearly and taught us how to draw out the bar model for problem-solving,” he said.

Meanwhile, the mathematics expert was equally impressed with the students. She described them as “very well behaved”, adding that “they were open-minded, eager to learn and very responsive”.

She pointed out that prior to the start of the session, she checked their knowledge of concepts taught in grades three and four and was impressed with their retention of the concepts.

“In Singapore, our teachers are supervised to make sure that they will have student achievement,” Ms. Lim Kai Ling noted. For grade-four teacher, Nicole Thompson, who is also trained in PR1ME Mathematics, the material presented by Ms. Lim Kai Ling assisted in strategies for solving problems and critical thinking.

Mrs. Thompson commended the parents and guardians who sent the children out and expressed delight at the turnout of students.

“This is my corner of the world, and I try to make a difference here. The children came, as their parents responded very well to my WhatsApp note to come out for this extra mathematics class,” she said.

More than 600 primary-school mathematics teachers, coaches and specialists from Jamaica, Belize and Barbados participated in the Amazing Mathematics Powers (AMP)…PR1MEd for Success workshop, which was fully endorsed by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information.