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by: Carlo Brian Angelo S. Nerecena December 17, 2005 To coincide with its 10th anniversary celebration, the Mathematics Trainers' Guild, in cooperation with the Department of Science and Technology - Science Education Institute, held a mathematics conference for elementary and secondary math teachers in Bayview Park Hotel last October 21 to 23, 2005. Under the theme "Exploring the Limits of Mathematics", the MTG-DOST-SEI Mathematics Conference attracted the participation of 275 math educators from both the primary and secondary levels and coming from different regions all over the Philippines. The atendees got more than what they bargained for with the cast of invited lecturers for the event. In fact, the group of lecturers was basically a veritable set of who's-whos in the field of mathematics education today. Some of the speakers were actually foreigners who have had previous experiences handling their respective national teams to various international math competitions. They were more than willing to share the techniques and methods that they employ in motivating their students to learn and appreciate math. The foreign speakers in this event were Professor Wen-Hsien Sun of Taiwan, Dr. Andy Liu of Canada, Dr. Peter James Taylor of Australia, Professor Pinky Leung of Hong Kong, and Professor Qiu Zonghu of China. Meanwhile, the local cast was composed of Dr. Queena Lee Chua and Dr. Ian P. Garces of the Ateneo de Manila, Dr. Maxima Acelajado of the De La Salle University, Dr. Polly Sy of the University of the Philippines, and MTG President Dr. Simon L. Chua. The MTG-DOST-SEI Mathematics Conference had many highlights, which include: Dr. Queena Lee Chua's lecture - which blew away most of the atendees and was clearly the run-away hit of the event, based on the feedback it received; Professor Wen-Hsien Sun's puzzle games - a regular fixture during international math competitions, but was an entirely new experience to most of our local mentors; the launching of Math Mania - MTG's quarterly magazine which caters to different grade levels and promises to give its readers with an endless stream of math challenges; and many more. The event was greatly appreciated by those who attended it, some of whom were even members of schools not yet affiliated with the MTG. Says one teacher: "I'm deeply touched by the enthusiasm, dedication, and commitment of the speakers and the officers of MTG to give mathematics a boost in the Philippines. To this, I'm also inspired to pursue my goals in my area and in my school. As [Dr.] Queena Lee [Chua] said - it's a matter of attitude!" Over-all, the MTG-DOST-SEI Mathematics Conference can be considered a huge success. It was a fitting event to complement the MTG 10th Anniversary Celebration and was a perfect demonstration of the organization's unparalleled dedication towards uplifting the level of mathematics education in the country. Kudos to MTG for a job well done! |
