FILIPINO educators and students, including 18 delegates from MathEd Eagles of the Ateneo de Manila University (AdMU) and two from Philippine Normal University (PNU), joined around 2,000 mathematics education scholars and researchers at the 15th International Congress on Mathematical Education (ICME-15) in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia on July 7 to 14, 2024.
Held at the International Convention Centre (ICC), the week-long congress was a journey of academic exploration, intellectual stimulation and networking opportunities for the participants.
ICME, which takes place every four years, is by far the largest gathering of mathematics educators from around the globe organized under the auspices of the International Commission on Mathematical Instruction (ICMI).
With the theme, "Come and be counted," ICME-15 aimed at addressing geographic, economic, technological and other forms of disadvantages and divides in the teaching and learning of mathematics.
AdMU informed though its official website that the congress also focused on mathematics education topics that included assessment practices, pedagogical approaches, discussions on curriculum development, integration of indigenous knowledge in the curricula, technology-assisted learning and collaborations that build networks of mathematics educators and learners.
Other related topics were also covered: undergraduate teaching of mathematics and statistics; Indigenous mathematical knowledge that informs global efforts in mathematics education; and the impact of teachers' work and of facilitating and supporting people-to-people connections in classrooms.
The Early Career Research (ECR) program, held on July 7 prior to the actual congress aimed to enhance the research skills of early career researchers across diverse sub-disciplines in mathematics education, facilitate collaboration with international experts, and foster networking opportunities to expand their professional connections.
Three MathEd Eagles joined the ECR. Nhoriel Toledo, a PhD Mathematics Education student, shared that the program provided the much-needed clarification on research methods and principles as well as on publications, boosting his motivation to delve deeper into mathematics education research.
ICME-15 was the first onsite congress in eight years because of the untimely interference of the Covid-19 pandemic at ICME-14 in 2020.
Meanwhile, the PNU delegates were College of Teacher Development Dean Gladys Nivera, PhD, and College of Teaching and Learning Assistant Dean Levi Elipani, PhD.
Nivera presented the results of her research paper related to the professional development of teachers on current teaching trends among secondary education mathematics teachers from the United States of America, India, South Africa, Bulgaria, and the Philippines.
On the other hand, Elipane served as co-chair of the conference on mathematics teacher education.
Nivera and Elipane attended other activities and meetings to strengthen PNU's
partnership and linkages with other institutions of higher learning worldwide.
PNU is a specialized state university recognized by law as the National Center for Teacher Education.