KUCHING: Mathematics can be mastered by everyone if it is taught in an enjoyable and interesting manner, said international teacher-trainer Teoh Poh Yew.
The dynamic and creative Mathematics educator said children enjoy activities that involve magic, puzzles and games, which can be used to enhance their confidence and enthusiasm for mastering Mathematics. “There are several reasons why students are poor in Mathematics. Firstly is, they have a phobia of the subject as they have been scolded for not knowing how to do it and they are scared.
“Secondly, the subject was not taught in an interesting way and thirdly, they were given excessive homework,” she explained during a recent interview.
Teoh, a mother of three, taught secondary school Mathematics for 11 years before becoming an international teacher-trainer. With over 20 years’ experience in the field, her passion lies in transforming Mathematics into a tool to develop creativity, enhance mathematical thinking and sharpen problem-solving abilities. “I started to have this passion when I was posted to a school in Seberang Prai (Penang) in the 1980s where I found that some of my Form 5 students could not multiply. “I started to think to myself that nobody wanted to be in this situation and I felt that they needed help. So I started to buy Primary 2 to 6 mathematics workbooks for them to start learning. I had to do this because I had to teach them from the beginning to help them understand better,” she said. Teoh said she felt every student who came to her class must learn something and felt responsible for teaching them basic skills for survival when they finished school.
She discovered mathematical ‘magic’ for the first time in 1998 when she brought her students to a Mathematics competition.
Fascinated, she started to look for mathematical ‘magic’ and subsequently published three books.
She subsequently founded Creative Maths, an enrichment programme which is now available in Malaysia and Singapore. Teoh explained that learning Mathematics is about pattern recognition. Her books ‘Mathematical Magic and Craft’, ‘Teaching Children Maths The Fun and Magical Way’ and ‘Amazing Maths — Card Tricks’ have been also been published in Mandarin, Thai and Indonesian. She has conducted creativity workshops for corporate leaders, teachers, trainers, parents and students in 15 countries; appeared regularly on television and radio, as well as in magazines and newspapers to share her experience.
Teoh will conduct the ‘Creative Parenting’ workshop at the Christian Ecumenical Worship Centre on Nov 17 from 2pm to 4.30pm. Participants will learn the importance of creativity, how to recognise that each child has unique potential, how to develop children’s creativity based on the theory of Multiple Intelligences, how to magnify children’s strengths, cultivate an appreciation of education and the art of re-framing. Tickets are available from all Popular bookshops. For further information, call Patricia from Gracia Management at 013-8011223 or 013-8111833.