Workshop held to test quality of textbooks

The National National

A WORKSHOP was held last week to test the quality of mathematics textbooks and teachers’ manuals produced by locals for upper primary schools.
Eleven teachers selected from schools in the National Capital District and Central attended the workshop.
It was organised by the Education Department and the Japan International Corporation Agency (Jica) at Sogeri in Central.
Jica’s chief adviser Akinori Ito said the week-long workshop focused on the validation of the mathematics textbooks and teachers’ manuals contents for grade five and grade six.
Trial tests were conducted on the teachers to see whether they understood the contents of the textbooks.
Ito said the aim of the validation of the textbooks and teachers manuals was to see if the contents were:

  • Easy to follow in class;
  • explaining important concepts with reasoning ability of each child; and,
  • Emphasised on the understanding of concepts rather than just calculating or answering.

Assistant Secretary of Curriculum and Measurement Department, Steven Tandale said the long-term aim was to have locals write teachers’ manuals and student textbooks “according to the age of a child”.
“The project aims to foster qualified curriculum officers and text books writers for Mathematics and Science,” he said.
Tandale urged the teachers to share what they had learnt during the workshop.
“The content that we develop will only make sense when you are present in the classrooms.”