On Saturday, September 16, 2023, Mentari Group and Marshall Cavendish held a Professional Development Training via a webinar. This training was aimed at Science, Math, and English teachers.

The FIS teachers who teach these subjects and those interested in participating in the training enthusiastically attended the event at the EYP Building from 8:45 AM to 11:30 AM. The trainers are Josephine Phay (English), Dr. Norhuda Musa (Math), and Manisha Nayak (Science).

Here are the topics that were covered:

ENGLISH: Introduction to Inquiry-Based Learning in the Primary English Classroom. Trainer: Josephine Phay

Educators and industry players agree that the world our young learners will eventually enter will require them to do much more than memorise facts or follow a set of instructions. This is why inquiry-based learning, with its emphasis on student-centred learning, problem solving and authentic tasks, is an important way of learning, even for our youngest learners. This two-hour webinar introduced participants to the key ideas associated with inquiry-based learning and provided an opportunity for participants to begin brainstorming ideas for inquiry-based lessons they might want to implement in their own classrooms.

MATH: Unlock Students’ Mathematical Thinking with the SMART Approach. Trainer: Dr. Norhuda Musa

How can we use the knowledge of students’ ideas, errors, and misconceptions to develop students’ mathematical thinking and increase math learning? How can the discovery of learners’ attempts to make sense of math lead us to better ways of thinking about and teaching math? This session discussed to address the issue of developing students’ mathematical thinking through the use of the SMART approach. Questions are intentionally categorized in the various headings; Similar questions, Misconceptions, Alternative Strategies, Right or Wrong, and Think and Create. Educators will be guided on how to effectively incorporate the SMART approach in their class to deepen students’ learning and improve overall maths performance.

SCIENCE: Design Thinking Process in Primary Science Learning. Trainer: Manisha Nayak

Imagine the classroom filled with creative thinkers working together to find innovative solutions to real-world problems. Design Thinking is an approach to creative problem solving that can be incorporated into classroom teaching to develop future-ready learners. This webinar clearly discussed the five stages of design thinking and how we can incorporate them into science teaching.***