Master Math Fluency with Jessica Kaminski at Symposium

Jessica Kaminski, M.Ed. is a Math Content Specialist who will be leading two workshops at the 2024 National Symposium for Classical Education, hosted by the Great Hearts Institute on March 20-22 at the Phoenix Convention Center. Kaminski has provided quality math support to educators all over the world through printed resources, video, and live professional development.

In her first workshop, Singapore Math Methodology within a Classical Framework, Kaminski will walk you through how Singapore’s approach to mathematics fosters a love and understanding of mathematics that creates lifelong learners. It partners beautifully with the classical framework using real-life experiences, opportunities to create meaning from mathematical situations and allow students to explain why mathematics works. “We’re going to look at the research-based strategies that make Singapore’s mathematics program so effective,” she said. You will also learn more about the four fundamentals of Singaporean pedagogy for math and see just what a difference it can make for your students.

The Singapore Math curriculum places problem solving as the central idea of its framework. Word problems are often the last thing on the page in U.S. mathematics textbooks whereas word problems exist on every page of a Singapore math textbook. Concrete objects such as number disks, popsicle sticks and dried beans are used as manipulatives for students to understand the abstract language of numbers.

In the workshop, Fostering Math Fact Fluency, she will demonstrate the quick recall of math facts that can help a student to work quickly through more challenging problems. Kaminski explains that the speed at which students master their math facts can vary depending on a student’s number sense. Attendees will explore just what math fact fluency truly is and the three-step process students go through each time they learn a new set of facts to help make memorization that much easier.

She is the author of Math in Focus 2020 Third Grade Teacher’s Guide and co-author of Primary Mathematics 2022 Grades 2-5 Teacher’s Guides. Kaminski understands how to best utilize the Singaporean pedagogy in today’s classroom, and she believes in fostering a love for mathematics with innovative practices that meet the needs of each unique student.

Kaminski is looking forward to presenting along with and other inspiring and informative speakers on March 20-22, 2024 at the Phoenix Convention Center, where they will each be giving their unique talks during the National Symposium for Classical Education. The symposium is just around the corner, but it’s not too late to register.

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The Symposium will focus on renewing the Great Conversation concerning great works and perennial ideas. This year we will underscore the importance of teaching and modeling the conversations that lead to insight–among colleagues, between teachers and students, with families, and across our communities. At a time when our society most needs genuine dialogue, classical schools provide a sanctuary of genuine civility. Join us to discover how classical education embodies the good conversations, providing both the means and the model for a more civil society.

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