Abstract:

One of the phrases which I have often heard used by students in mathematics classroom is 'show me how it works'. At times what the students are requesting is to be shown a concrete model (not a diagram on the white board) to enable them to interpret and understand the mathematics concepts being taught.

At primary level where most of our basic mathematics foundation is laid concepts introduced and developed during that period, then there's no better way to commence our teaching than by using mathematical models and especially when created by the students themselves.
If teachers can assist their students to construct their own maths models which help then to understand the mathematics concepts being taught, then some of the problems reelated to the learning of mathematics concepts may be minimized. I am of the opinion that if somme of these activities in this workshop are used in the classroom then they will open up another dimension for the students which will excite, motivate, create interest and challenge them and least of all clarify their understanding of some Geometric/Arithmetic concepts.

In this mathematics workshop participants will dissect polygons once, twice or several times then explore ways to hiinge them to create other polygons. We will use dissections (cuts) and motions (translations) to construct the new polygons ( from the old ones) which will provide a basis for the understanding of some Arithmetic formulae taught at Promary level.

The contents of this workshop were used with much success when teaching Indigenous teachers in Australia.
Hope you have fun and enjoy particpating in this workshop.

Keywords:

Innovative practices, dissection motion geometry, activites to simplify teaching some primary mathematics concepts, for primary school teachers.