Title: Can. Dr Paolo Pullicino Lectio Magistralis
The Department of Early Childhood and Primary Education, Faculty of Education, is hosting the Can. Dr Paolo Pullicino Lectio Magistralis which will be held on Wednesday 16 February 2022 from 18:30 to 20:00 at the University of Malta, Msida (Lecture Theatre 1).
Date: Wednesday 16 February 2022
Time: 18:30-20:00
Venue: Lecture Theatre 1, University of Malta
The Department of Early Childhood and Primary Education, Faculty of Education, is hosting the Can. Dr Paolo Pullicino Lectio Magistralis which will be held on Wednesday 16 February 2022 from 18:30 to 20:00 at the University of Malta, Msida (Lecture Theatre 1).
During the event, Prof. George Cassar will give an Introductory speech entitled 'Can. Dr Paolo Pullicino – the keystone of Maltese primary education'. This will be followed by Prof. Marie Therese Farrugia's lecture Mind the gap! Using a discourse perspective to bridge students’ experiences of learning mathematics across Grade levels.
Abstract
A key development for mathematics education is presently occurring for each of the Early Years cycle of education and the Juniors cycle. In the Early Years, it is recommended that children experience mathematics through play, playful activities and projects and, thus, mathematics is not to be considered as a separate subject outlined by a syllabus. In the meantime, at Primary level, the majority of Maltese schools are in the process of changing a long-standing textbook scheme to ones that promote the ‘Singapore approach’. In this presentation I discuss how these two seemingly different approaches to addressing mathematics can be reconciled under one view of what it means to learn mathematics. Drawing on Anna Sfard’s work, I consider ‘learning mathematics’ as the engagement in a discourse that is constituted by four elements: words, visual mediators (e.g. concrete items, pictures and symbols), routines and narratives. By using classroom excerpts
as illustrations, I stress the role language plays to enable students to engage in routines and narratives, and to interpret concrete objects, pictures and symbols. I argue that, irrespective of the level of learning or the pedagogical approach taken, the four elements of discourse are essential, and that maintaining a common perspective of mathematics learning can serve to provide continuity across Grade levels.
Marie Therese Farrugia is an Associate Professor within the Faculty of Education, University of Malta. Her area of specialisation is Early Childhood and Primary Mathematics Education. Marie Therese has been involved in the
training of primary school teachers for the past 25 years, and in the training of kindergarten teachers for the past 10 years. Her main research interest is the use of language in mathematics education including classroom interaction, bilingual and multilingual mathematics education contexts and mathematics discourse.
