Calculation Time Jamaica

Having fun with coding

Our short-term volunteers, Satomi and Tomoya, have done their activities in Jamaica and left for Japan.

We just want to say thank you to all teachers and students for making their days more fulfilling at school.
The experience will be useful for their future life.

Other volunteers, Masutomi and Fruta, look forward to continuing work with you in Jamaica!

Hello, everyone.
My name is Akira Masutomi.
I am the successor to Ms. Kyoko Machida as a senior volunteer.

There are four volunteers in mathematics education in Jamaica now.
Fruta, Satomi, Tomoya and myself.

We will try to further improve Calculation Time activities and math classes by introducing something new that you will find out later.
We are looking forward to having your feed backs and suggestions.
Thank you.

See you soon.

Thank you for reading this Facebook. My name is Kyoko Machida.
I have worked as Senior Volunteer of JICA in charge of mathematics education in Jamaica for 2 years. For this assignment, I have been attached to the Core Curriculum Unit in the Ministry of Education.
I’m going back to Japan tomorrow. My best experience has been meeting the teachers and students in Jamaica.
I hope for further development of Calculation Time.

[The new booklets]

These are the new booklets in the 2017’s. The school doing CT can get them with cards soon!!!

I participated in Official Launch of the 2017~2018 School Year at Newell High School in St. Elizabeth.
My best wishes for the further development of education in Jamaica.

[Board games are useful for learning Math!]

I saw a domino game at summer school. Domino is the traditional game in Jamaica.
I realized that a domino is not only a game but also a learning tool to improve memorizing and concentrating. So it is useful for learning Math.

[The Summer art workshop]
The Summer art workshop by volunteers of JICA, Japan International Cooperation Agency, was held at the Institute of Jamaica from July 3 to 7. Each of workshops was about a subject related to the different work assignments, Japanese culture and Japanese language.

[All students of 6 grade]

Happy Graduation! The best wishes for your future!
I participated in the graduation ceremony of Seaward PS on July 6. The most impressive scene was the award to the most improved student, and I admire and praise the attitude of teachers, whose efforts result in such achievements.

[Mathematical learning of 4- year old students]

They are memorizing the numbers 1 to 9 while playing. Applaud a teacher's idea!

[Their problem]

I have taught some students of grade 3 & 4 three times a week from last October.
They are motivated to learn. But they can’t read and write numbers 1 to 100 accurately. Addition and subtraction are even more difficult for them.
I realized that some of them may have Dyslexia, known as reading disorder. I think that it is necessary for the teacher to understand their problem correctly and provide appropriate assistance, rather than reprimand them.
I suppose there are the students like them in many schools.

According to Wikipedia,
Dyslexia, also known as reading disorder, is characterized by trouble with reading despite normal intelligence. Different people are affected to varying degrees. Problems may include difficulties in spelling words, reading quickly,
writing words, "sounding out" words in the head, pronouncing words when reading aloud and understanding what one reads. Often these difficulties are first noticed at school.