Mico stages research day on March 25

Scores of secondary- and tertiary-level students and teachers from across Jamaica are expected to participate in the Mico University College Research Day activities set for Wednesday, March 25, at the institution's campus in Kingston. The campus will be transformed into a mathematics hub, depicting the day's theme: 'The Transformational Power of Mathematics for National Development'.

"Research Day 2015 is a collective and collaborative response to an educational challenge," Dean of the Faculty of Science and Technology at the Mico University College, Professor Bermadee Briscoe, said.

"It is a step towards demystifying math and presenting the subject in integrated ways, linking it to other subject areas and real-life context. We at Mico are aware of the pressing need for further improvement in numerical literacy across our schools in Jamaica," she said.

"We are specifically targeting students at the secondary level and teachers. Some of the presentations and demonstrations will have a direct impact on how they learn and teach the subject. We are also targeting the general public and all the teacher-training institutions because they also engage in the same process of teacher training," the professor explained.

Acting Dean of the Faculty of Education Rudolph Sewell said that mathematics must be seen as the process of "promoting a certain kind of thinking in our people, and, at the other end, we see it as a tool and not as an isolated subject with certain challenges."

encourage mathematical thinking

"Just as how we emphasised literacy as central to communication, we must encourage mathematical thinking, and how using mathematics is very critical to national development," he added. Features of the Research Day include panel discussions on 'The State of Math Teacher Education - Challenges and Solutions'; 'Unlocking the Math Mind: Music, Art, and Culture'; and 'Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics for National Development'. There will also be presentations, faculty displays, poster competition, exhibitions, and live demonstrations.

Participants include the Caribbean Maritime Institute, Jamaica National, the Jamaica Urban Transit Company, the Caribbean Aviation Training Centre, and the Insurance Association of Jamaica.

"Mico believes in the idea that every child can learn and every child must be provided with the opportunity to experience mathematics," Briscoe said.

- JIS