The Centre for Learning, Teaching and Technology (LTTC) of The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK) concluded a two-day summer camp today (17 July), which provided over 150 students from six local secondary schools and their teachers with first-hand experience in Cornerstone Maths, an e-learning platform successfully used in schools in the United States and the United Kingdom.
The masterminds behind Cornerstone Maths are Professor Celia Hoyles and Professor Richard Noss of the University College London (UCL) Knowledge Lab, who began in the 1990s with research on the use of dynamic representations to change mathematics education. Cornerstone Maths was subsequently developed by world-renowned SRI International, in collaboration with the UCL Knowledge Lab, with funding support from the Li Ka Shing Foundation (LKSF).
The two-day summer camp was a pilot run to pave way for the official launch and introduction of Cornerstone Maths for more local secondary students to help them learn and grasp key mathematical ideas and concepts related to linear functions through the integration of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) into lessons with representations and simulations, such as visual and interactive graphs, tables and equations. It equips local pre-service and in-service teachers with quality teaching methods to enrich the learning experience of students in Hong Kong.
During the camp, junior secondary students and teachers from Cheung Sha Wan Catholic Secondary School, Ho Lap College (Sponsored by the Sik Sik Yuen), Our Lady of the Rosary College, S.K.H. Lam Kau Mow Secondary School, Tsuen Wan Government Secondary School, and Wah Yan College, Kowloon, were actively engaged in the learning of Cornerstone Maths, with EdUHK students serving as mentors.
EdUHK President Professor Stephen Cheung Yan-leung said, “We are pleased to be part of this innovative Mathematics education project. We look forward to seeing the potential of Cornerstone Maths and its first-ever application in local classrooms to engage students in learning what used to be hard-to-learn concepts.”
The Director of the LTTC at EdUHK, Professor Kong Siu-cheung, said, “We feel encouraged by the positive response from teachers. Their students enjoyed learning linear functions with Cornerstone Maths.”
EdUHK’s Cornerstone Maths project in Hong Kong was made possible by LKSF’s generous donation of HK$10 million earlier, which covered a scholarship scheme for the competitive recruitment of top talent, as well as innovation in teaching and learning through e-learning platforms.
For media enquiries, please contact Professor Kong Siu-cheung, Director of the LTTC, EdUHK (Tel: 2948 7646 or Email: sckong@eduhk.hk).
