World's top math educators to meet in Manila

MANILA, Philippines - The 2010 International Mathematics Educators Convention on Oct. 21 to 24, with the theme “Making Sense: Teaching and Learning Math by Understanding”, will be held in the Philippines, at the Royale Tagaytay Club, E. Aguinaldo Highway, Buck Estate, in Alfonso, Cavite. The Department of Education (DepEd) will coordinate with the Mathematics Trainers’ Guild (MTG) Philippines in conducting the conference.

The conference aims to gather the country’s math teachers from public and private elementary and secondary schools, math coordinators and department heads, and school academic supervisors, to learn from internationally renowned math educators who will acquaint them with the latest trends in math teaching especially on the methodology using “understanding by design” (UbD).

Among the roster of international math educators to lecture in the convention are Prof. Wen-Hsien Sun, president of Chiu Chang Mathematics Education Foundation in Taipei, Taiwan; Prof. Peter Taylor, executive director of the Australian Mathematics Trust; Dr. Ridwan Hasan Saputra, president/director of KPM Math Clinic of Indonesia; Dr. Lee Shen Hong, chairman of the China Mathematical Olympiad; Prof. Pinky Leung, principal of the Hong Kong Mathematical Olympiad School; and Dr. Pramote Kajornpai, director of the Innovation in Primary and Secondary Education of Thailand’s Ministry of Education.

Local math teaching experts led by Dr. Simon Chua, principal of the Zamboanga Chong Hwa High School and president of MTG Philippines as well as the lone Filipino recipient of the prestigious Paul Erdos Award for Mathematical Excellence, are also slated to give their presentations in the convention.

It will be recalled that MTG Philippines has been successful in training young Filipino students for international math competitions, taking home their share of gold, silver, and bronze medals, and bringing honor for the country.

Chua said that science and math education should be given more importance in elementary and high schools if the Philippines wanted to produce more engineers and scientists that are necessary in the effort to make the Philippines a developed economy.

“If we look at highly developed countries, they have a large pool of skilled engineers and scientists that make up the backbone of their economy, particularly their high-tech companies and industrial corporations,” Chua said.