JICA Volunteer: Moeri Mizutani
2018/7/18
Practice Makes a Math Hero！
Alii, a ngklek a Moeri Mizutani ma lechub eng MOE. Ak chad er a Osaka, Siabal. Ak oureor er a Maris Stella School sera September 2017. Ak sensei er a Math. Yorosuku, rokui.
When I introduce myself like this in Palauan, Palauans look at me surprised and ask me, “Ng ngarang?”. This is my second time as JICA Volunteer in Palau and I always feel that ak kmal lucky!
When I started working at Maris Stella School, I was willing to fulfill three important missions that will support the school community develop Math. The first mission was to improve the understanding of teachers, parents and guardians about the Singapore Math Curriculum. Singapore Math was introduced to the school in 2016. When I attended PTA meeting for the first time, I noticed that there were some parents who were not aware of the Singapore Math and they asked a lot of questions about it. Having seen that, I held ten Family Workshops within one school year. According to the workshops’ evaluation, the attended parents said “I've learned so much today to help my son”; “Thank you for the opportunity to learn and to have fun with my child”; “Very new technique, but interesting”; and “Very clear explanation! Things were clearer after the lesson!”. It seems that parents’ understanding of the curriculum have improved from those workshops. After the workshops, I was very happy to hear from the students what they have learned and that they were very excited to do their homework with their parents at home.
My second mission was to improve the math teaching skills of teachers. I observed each class and advised those teachers who needed my help, by sharing the knowledge, experiences, strategies and techniques to them in classrooms and through several Teachers’ Workshops. I showed them how to teach basic calculation, how to make math lesson plans and how to solve word problems. Teachers used the strategies and techniques in their teaching methods, which improved their teaching styles a lot. I hope they will keep it up and make sure the students will understand the Singapore Math strategies more deeply.
My last mission was to improve the basic calculation skills of students. I supported math classes from 1st grade to 4th grade and I would like to share some experiences with them. To begin with, whatever 1st graders did, they were kmal cute, although I was strict with them. Some students were counting their fingers to do basic addition and subtraction before. At the beginning of the school year, the teacher and I introduced the number of facts and asked students to make 10. Whenever they had free time, I used cards to drill them. They drilled every day until they mastered it. We never allowed them to guess or use fingers anymore. We encouraged and said to them “You can do it!”. At the end of the school year, most of the students were able to calculate in their heads without using their hands. The 2nd graders also did the same drills every day. Some students were afraid to make mistakes, but I told them, “Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, try your best!”. Every time after students worked on their drills, I always announced the student’s name that got 100% and they were called a “Math Hero”. Everybody always tried their best and worked hard to master their mental math, because they wanted to be the “Math Hero”. For the 3rd graders, the teacher and I were very strict with the “Times Table” drill. As soon as students arrived in their classrooms, they started practicing their multiplication facts with fun. They really enjoyed their math drills every morning. They always asked me for more challenges and they never gave up. I really like their challenging spirits. Compared with the 3rd graders, the 4th graders were less motivated at the beginning of school year. Nevertheless, students changed gradually after we began the “Math Hero Drill”. The drill gives 10 basic problems to be calculated in their heads within 3 minutes. Through this activity, students gained concentration and motivation in learning math. They became more confident and seeing their smiley faces made me smile too!
In order for myself to see the improvement of students, I assessed them with the same test that was done at the beginning of the school year. The results are as follows; Grade 2 from 35.50% to 82.25%; Grade 3 from 41.89% to 87.16%;and Grade 4 from 56.20% to 91.20%. The average results of each grade were increased and I am so proud of them for what they have achieved. If you are interested in Math Hero Drills, please come and join our workshop session at 24th Education Convention.
One of my most unforgettable and best memory was the “Math Hero Speed Challenge Competition”, which we implemented with 1st to 4th graders. They were separated into 5 groups depending on their levels. Each student in a team tried to solve 50 problems within 3 minutes on every stage. They competed each round and the team with the highest total score became the winner. 29 out of 100 students got perfect scores. They were very happy and proud of themselves. They have proved that “Practice Makes Perfect”. The other students were inspired and motivated to practice more so that they can be the Math Hero next school year. This event was very successful, thanks to the cooperation of very hardworking teachers, staffs and students. The students rushed to me and hugged me with tears at the end of the event and I will never forget that.
It is very sad to say I am leaving Palau now that it is time for me to go back to Japan. I would like to continue watching my students’ growth if I can. However, I am confident that the new JICA Volunteer has the caliber to do a good job. Even though I will return to Japan, I will always care and love all the students. I will always treasure all the memories that I had within the three and a half years of my stay and work here in Palau. I would like to say a special thank you from the bottom of my heart for my host family, my roommate, Meyuns Dolphins family, and MSS family. To all the people that I have met in Palau, I will really miss you and appreciate all that you have done to me. Kom kmal mesulang, Salamat po, 謝謝, and Arigatogozaimashita.
Alii, a ngklek a Moeri Mizutani ma lechub eng MOE. Ak chad er a Osaka, Siabal. Ak oureor er a Maris Stella School sera September 2017. Ak sensei er a Math. Yorosuku, rokui.
When I introduce myself like this in Palauan, Palauans look at me surprised and ask me, “Ng ngarang?”. This is my second time as JICA Volunteer in Palau and I always feel that ak kmal lucky!
When I started working at Maris Stella School, I was willing to fulfill three important missions that will support the school community develop Math. The first mission was to improve the understanding of teachers, parents and guardians about the Singapore Math Curriculum. Singapore Math was introduced to the school in 2016. When I attended PTA meeting for the first time, I noticed that there were some parents who were not aware of the Singapore Math and they asked a lot of questions about it. Having seen that, I held ten Family Workshops within one school year. According to the workshops’ evaluation, the attended parents said “I've learned so much today to help my son”; “Thank you for the opportunity to learn and to have fun with my child”; “Very new technique, but interesting”; and “Very clear explanation! Things were clearer after the lesson!”. It seems that parents’ understanding of the curriculum have improved from those workshops. After the workshops, I was very happy to hear from the students what they have learned and that they were very excited to do their homework with their parents at home.
My second mission was to improve the math teaching skills of teachers. I observed each class and advised those teachers who needed my help, by sharing the knowledge, experiences, strategies and techniques to them in classrooms and through several Teachers’ Workshops. I showed them how to teach basic calculation, how to make math lesson plans and how to solve word problems. Teachers used the strategies and techniques in their teaching methods, which improved their teaching styles a lot. I hope they will keep it up and make sure the students will understand the Singapore Math strategies more deeply.
My last mission was to improve the basic calculation skills of students. I supported math classes from 1st grade to 4th grade and I would like to share some experiences with them. To begin with, whatever 1st graders did, they were kmal cute, although I was strict with them. Some students were counting their fingers to do basic addition and subtraction before. At the beginning of the school year, the teacher and I introduced the number of facts and asked students to make 10. Whenever they had free time, I used cards to drill them. They drilled every day until they mastered it. We never allowed them to guess or use fingers anymore. We encouraged and said to them “You can do it!”. At the end of the school year, most of the students were able to calculate in their heads without using their hands. The 2nd graders also did the same drills every day. Some students were afraid to make mistakes, but I told them, “Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, try your best!”. Every time after students worked on their drills, I always announced the student’s name that got 100% and they were called a “Math Hero”. Everybody always tried their best and worked hard to master their mental math, because they wanted to be the “Math Hero”. For the 3rd graders, the teacher and I were very strict with the “Times Table” drill. As soon as students arrived in their classrooms, they started practicing their multiplication facts with fun. They really enjoyed their math drills every morning. They always asked me for more challenges and they never gave up. I really like their challenging spirits. Compared with the 3rd graders, the 4th graders were less motivated at the beginning of school year. Nevertheless, students changed gradually after we began the “Math Hero Drill”. The drill gives 10 basic problems to be calculated in their heads within 3 minutes. Through this activity, students gained concentration and motivation in learning math. They became more confident and seeing their smiley faces made me smile too!
In order for myself to see the improvement of students, I assessed them with the same test that was done at the beginning of the school year. The results are as follows; Grade 2 from 35.50% to 82.25%; Grade 3 from 41.89% to 87.16%;and Grade 4 from 56.20% to 91.20%. The average results of each grade were increased and I am so proud of them for what they have achieved. If you are interested in Math Hero Drills, please come and join our workshop session at 24th Education Convention.
One of my most unforgettable and best memory was the “Math Hero Speed Challenge Competition”, which we implemented with 1st to 4th graders. They were separated into 5 groups depending on their levels. Each student in a team tried to solve 50 problems within 3 minutes on every stage. They competed each round and the team with the highest total score became the winner. 29 out of 100 students got perfect scores. They were very happy and proud of themselves. They have proved that “Practice Makes Perfect”. The other students were inspired and motivated to practice more so that they can be the Math Hero next school year. This event was very successful, thanks to the cooperation of very hardworking teachers, staffs and students. The students rushed to me and hugged me with tears at the end of the event and I will never forget that.
It is very sad to say I am leaving Palau now that it is time for me to go back to Japan. I would like to continue watching my students’ growth if I can. However, I am confident that the new JICA Volunteer has the caliber to do a good job. Even though I will return to Japan, I will always care and love all the students. I will always treasure all the memories that I had within the three and a half years of my stay and work here in Palau. I would like to say a special thank you from the bottom of my heart for my host family, my roommate, Meyuns Dolphins family, and MSS family. To all the people that I have met in Palau, I will really miss you and appreciate all that you have done to me. Kom kmal mesulang, Salamat po, 謝謝, and Arigatogozaimashita.