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$100,000 SFU Cmolik Prize Awarded for Prof's Impactful Mathematics Program
Monday, May 8, 2017Company Profile | Follow Company
Burnaby, BC, May 8, 2017--(T-Net)--SFU's Faculty of Education has awarded the 2017 $100,000 Cmolik Prize for the Enhancement of Public Education in B.C. to SFU education professor Peter Liljedahl, whose mathematics teaching framework is helping to revolutionize classrooms across B.C.—and even North America.
The winner was chosen by the Cmolik Prize selection committee from 24 outstanding nominations.
The Cmolik Prize recognizes recipients who have developed and implemented an invention, innovation, concept, process or procedure that enhances educational practice in the K-12 public school system in B.C.
“From 50 years of research in mathematics education, we know that problem-solving is an important mechanism for students as they learn to think mathematically, and for acquiring a deeper knowledge and understanding of the mathematics they're learning,” says Liljedahl.
“Yet, the majority of mathematics classrooms in B.C. offer students little to no problem-solving experiences.”
So Liljedahl set out to research and develop a set of practices, called Building Thinking Classrooms, to help math teachers implement problem-solving in their lessons. The framework encourages collective thinking, and also creates space for students to learn through activity and discussion.
Since introducing the program, he has delivered in-service education for thousands of K-12 mathematics teachers and is currently working with teachers in 14 B.C. school districts.
He says teachers' implementation of these practices has been tremendous. His research shows that, after training, 97 per cent of teachers were willing to implement the framework, and that 95 per cent were still using it after six weeks.
"I am grateful to the Cmoliks for their dedication to the betterment of education in B.C. and am hopeful that, in winning this prestigious prize, my work to increase student thinking and engagement will gain even greater attention, and help transform the experiences of even more mathematics students across B.C. and beyond.”
Kris Magnusson, SFU's dean of education, says he is extremely excited to award Liljedahl with the 2017 Cmolik Prize.
“Peter's Building Thinking Classrooms framework has helped hundreds of B.C. students experience mathematics in a supportive environment, eliminated social barriers and created strong classroom communities,” says Magnusson.
“We are very grateful for his contributions to public education in B.C.”
The award was created through a generous endowment to SFU's Faculty of Education by Russ and Ellen Cmolik, founders of the Cmolik Foundation. They say education has been a powerful tool that has helped them open doors for themselves and the award is a means of sharing this with others.
Cmolik Prize finalists:
Todd Manuel and team members Judith King, Naryn Searcy, Jeff Fitton, Myron Dueck, Leyton Schnellert (School District 67-Okanagan Skaha)
Contribution: Through a Different Lens—a project looking at innovative teaching and assessment strategies that capitalize on student strengths by allowing them to choose a method of learning that is aligned with their interests, cultural background, talents and strengths
John Sarte and team members David Truss and Alan Soiseth (School District 43-Coquitlam)
Contribution: Dream_Create_Learn (DCL): Inquiry Hub and Student-Powered Projects—a learning environment that encourages innovation, invention and inspiration to help students make their ideas come to life
Credit: By Wan Yee Lok, SFU
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