How Math Olympiad Training for Train The Trainers Programme can Boost Math Competency
The Math Olympiad has gained in popularity over the years and has developed a reputation for excellence in mathematical education. Thousands of schools from across many countries enter their teams into Math Olympiad competitions every year.
Math Olympiad has raised the academic bar in primary school examinations. Questions you would typically see in Math Olympiads are finding their way into school papers even though these questions are not explicitly included in the syllabus or formally taught to the students in school.
Additionally, Math Olympiad training can improve one's problem solving skills, which leads to better grades in Math. With major examinations, PSLE for example, featuring challenging questions, Math Olympiad training helps to improve students'; conceptual understanding in Maths and to enable them to grasp tricky Math concepts. It also sharpens one's Maths skill to the highest level, enabling students to secure those last few crucial marks to achieve A1 Grade for school examinations, especially in PSLE.
Proficiency in Math Olympiad examinations can also grant students an automatic place in the Direct School Admission (DSA), or serve as credentials for preferential university placement.
Seeing the advantages that Math Olympiad brings, many parents are looking for Math tutors who can infuse Math Olympiad into the syllabus. In Singapore, medalists of prestigious Math Olympiad competitions such as NMOS, SMOPS and RIPMWC are being considered as tickets for Direct School Admission (DSA) for some high schools.
Best Way to Stay Relevant - Get Equipped with Math Olympiad
Math Olympiad competition students have their critical thinking skills trained in order to be good mathematical problem solvers. Hence, the Maths curriculum has been moving toward a new mathematics standard that emphasizes critical thinking over basic memorization. New Maths standards require deeper knowledge while discouraging over-reliance on memory and set formulaic thinking. As a result, Math Olympiad is now adopted by high-performing schools of many countries including Japan and Singapore. Maths teachers are encouraged to emphasise word problems that require critical thinking and mastery of concepts for laying a sturdier foundation for advanced learning. The assessments would include new questions that require students to think and apply their problem-solving skills to complete their answer.
Importance of Critical Thinking Skill
Very often, the Math Olympiad problems require higher order critical thinking to link multiple approaches and methods to find a solution. To do so, students need to be well-versed in a wide variety of topics as per the new standards. To accomplish this, teachers require the right training and coaching to adopt these standards.
TCA's Train The Trainer Programme offers to train teachers on effective ways to teach to this new mathematical standard. The Train The Trainer programme provides multiple Math concepts that can be used to teach and boost your confidence as a trained Maths Specialist who is able to elevate your students' Math knowledge, skill, and achievement.
The Train The Trainer Programme prepares teachers with Math Olympiad so that the teachers and tutors alike are flexible with mathematical problem-solving skills in both syllabus Math and Math Olympiad. A successful Math tutor is one who is able to pull different practice problems to match each student's weaknesses in a 'Just-in-time' approach to stimulate enthusiasm and enjoyment of maths.
Get Professional Training By Terry Chew
The Trainer: Mr Terry Chew, Author of Math Olympians series and Chief Examiner of SEAMO, or Southeast Asia Math Olympiad competition. Terry is a prolific writer, trainer of critical thinking skills and an entrepreneur.
He pioneered the idea of sharing the richness of atypical maths questions in his celebrated Maths Olympiad series 'Unleash The Maths Olympian in You!'. He is the author of 24 books on Math Olympiad, and is currently penning the next Math Olympiad series. He is also the Chief Examiner at Southeast Asia Mathematical Olympiad (SEAMO) and Vietnam International Math Olympiad.
Looking to elevate your skills as a maths teacher or tutor? Come and be part of the TCA vibrant Math Olympiad - Train The Trainer programme. Our Math Olympiad programme is structured with Singapore MOE's 21st Century Core Competencies; placing a strong emphasis on Critical Thinking Skills and making connections between different Math topics to solve complicated problem sums.
