UP NISMED Trains ABC+ Pilot Schools on Key Instructional Strategies in Early Grades Mathematics

The University of the Philippines National Institute for Science and Mathematics Education Development (UP NISMED) trained selected Grades 1 to 3 teachers, school heads, and supervisors from Regions V (Bicol Region) and VI (Western Visayas) on the key instructional strategies in early grades mathematics. The training for Region V, with 29 participants, was conducted on 27 January to 8 February 2022 while that for Region VI, with 34 participants, was done on 14 to 23 February 2022. This online training was part of the early numeracy initiative for remote learning of the United States Agency for International Development’s basic education project, the ABC+: Advancing Basic Education in the Philippines. It aimed to strengthen teachers’ skills in building conceptual understanding of their students by using key instructional strategies in teaching early grades mathematics.

The training was designed based on the results of the baseline study on Kindergarten to Grade 3 instruction that was conducted by UP NISMED during the first phase of the ABC+ project. Moreover, it was designed to provide participants with opportunities to discuss three of the four key instructional strategies with focus on deepening teachers’ knowledge of selected foundational concepts. The key instructional strategies include the following: 1) using models to focus learners’ attention to critical aspects of the mathematical concepts and procedures under consideration during instruction; 2) encouraging explaining and justifying to create opportunities for learners to reason and to develop their skills in communicating their mathematical ideas; and 3) paying attention to developmental progressions of children’s learning of mathematics.

Ms. Joanne Charina Astilla of ABC+ presents the schools by group in preparation for the development of their lesson plan.

The training was conducted online through synchronous and asynchronous sessions. The synchronous sessions served as venue for discussion and for providing inputs. The asynchronous sessions, on the other hand, enabled the participants to work in groups to plan together and prepare a lesson plan based on the assigned mathematics topic and which integrated the use of the key instructional strategies. The implementation of the lesson plan was video-recorded and was presented during the synchronous session. After the presentation, the participants as well as members of the training team from UP NISMED provided feedback to improve the lesson plan.

The Group A participants together with the UP NISMED training facilitators pose for a group photo after successfully presenting their lesson plans.


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