Yogyakarta – The Director of SEAQiM, Prof. Subanar, opened the Centre’s last regular course on teacher-made teaching aids on 12 October 2016, at Gamma Room, PPPPTK Matematika. The course, which will last for two-week, is participated by 30 primary school teachers from 5 SEAMEO Member Countries namely Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Timor Leste, and Thailand.
At the beginning his speech, Prof. Subanar welcomed the whole participants to the SEAQiM and particularly to the Course on Teacher-made Teaching Aids for Primary School Teachers. Prof. Allan L. White, a mathematics expert from the University of Western Sydney-Australia, who will be one of the facilitators for the said course, also took part in the opening ceremony.
Photo session after the opening ceremony
“In the span of two hectic weeks you will make an imprint on our Centre, and of course on our beloved city, Yogyakarta. We are truly grateful for this”, said the Director of SEAQiM to the participants. Besides, he delivered very inspiring messages by quoting a line of an article “The Teacher as Midwife” or in Bahasa “Guru Ibarat Bidan”. He retold the way the writer, Dr. Maryellen Weimer, perceived the role of a teacher.
“A midwife surely has attended many other births, a teacher has undoubtedly been with many other students as they have gone through the process of learning. It is joyful, exciting, but not without pain. Sometimes the pain is long and intense, causing the learner to despair and lose hope. She knows that sometimes progress is slow. But the midwife understands” said Prof. Subanar as he highlighted how a midwife mirrors all that a good teacher should be.
He continued that the role of a midwife does not stop even after the baby is in the mother’s arm, she still struggles. She keeps on striving the best way to help, support, guide, and encourage the mother. It is just like what teachers should do when their students find difficulties.
Prof. Subanar ended the speech by thanking and congratulating the committee for the good preparation for the course. Also, he reminded all participants to join in the Centres’ next programme, ISMEI (International Symposium on Mathematics Education and Innovation), which will be held from 1 to 3 November 2016.