The study of mathematics is transitioning from the abstract to a more manipulative, hands-on approach and Unity Primary and Infant School is working hard to raise the subject’s profile among its students and change negative attitudes and fears associated with it.

The school is located in West Rural St Andrew and dates back to the 1800s.

“The school is using the constructivist approach using hands-on materials to stimulate learning,” Acting Principal O’Neil Nembhard told executives of CIBC FirstCaribbean International Bank, which recently presented the school with a series of mathematics teaching aids at the bank’ s Kingston headquarters.

Nembhard said the school is establishing a mathematics resource centre where the materials donated will be housed in a secure environment for use by all students.

The principal pointed out that prior to the bank’s intervention, the teachers at Unity would make their own charts and other items.

“But the magnetic maths tiles, base 10 sets used in teaching addition, subtraction and multiplication, geometric shapes and geo boards which assist in making these shapes and other materials are far more precise and will better help students learn maths conceptually rather than by rote,” he said.

Nembhard reported that last year Unity achieved a numeracy rate of 73 per cent, a 26 per cent increase over 2016, in the Ministry of Education-administered Grade 4 Literacy and Numeracy Tests, and said the institution expected to do even better this year with “a new approach, greater motivation, and a new curriculum”.

Part of that new approach is a “Maths Day” which the school will observe on April 29. It will include maths games like dominoes, monopoly and snakes and ladders, a maths hunt (like treasure hunt) and a maths bee (like spelling bee).

The bank’s human resource manager Jerome Griffith congratulated the school on its “proactive approach to tackling the teaching of mathematics, which has been identified as a major challenge across the region”.

“We are looking forward to hearing great things from Unity. You have a sound plan and CIBC FirstCaribbean is pleased to be able to contribute to the achievement of your goals,” Griffith said.

CIBC FirstCaribbean is a member of the CIBC Group and operates in 17 countries around the Caribbean. It has approximately 3,000 employees, in 80 branches and offices.