About

The Elementary Educator Courses are designed to help elementary teachers and teacher candidates boost their math skills.

They have been developed by an Ontario certified teacher with a PhD focused specifically on math education and in collaboration with mathematicians and educators from a wide variety of backgrounds.

Format

These courses are being offered as online, self-paced modules with access to discussion forums to discuss concepts, share ideas, and reach course instructors.

There is no time limit to finishing them and they should take between 10 – 20 hours to complete (depending on the course).

Each course is a combination of videos, text, and interactive elements. While the focus is on the math (not pedagogy or how to teach these concepts) we have included lots of resources for you to take back to your classroom. 

Cost

FREE 

There is no cost to take our courses at this time. All we ask is that you provide us with some feedback as you go through the course by using the built in feedback forms. 

Registration

To register for a course click the “Register” button for that course and you will be taken to our learning management system. Once there create an account and you will then be able to see and enrol in the course(s) you would like. You can also create a new account or login to an existing account at: lms.fields.utoronto.ca

Current Courses

We currently have 3 courses open for registration:

Operations – Part 1

Come explore the four main operations (+, -, x, /) across whole numbers, fractions, decimals, and negative numbers and learn where the algorithms, tips, tricks, and mathematical “magic” of operations comes from (hint: it’s not magic at all, just a simplification of steps over thousands of years).

In this course you’ll learn about the historical aspects of numbers and operations with numbers and be taken, step-by-step, through why various ways of solving math operations work the way they do.

Topics include: 

    • Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication and Division with:
      • Whole Numbers, Fractions, Decimals, and Negative Numbers
    • How the following “tricks” work:
      • Flip and multiply
      • “Carrying” and “Borrowing”
      • Why common denominators for fraction + and -, but not x and /
      • Long Division
      • Two negatives make a positive
    • Order of Operations
    • Rounding
    • The Power of Zero and One
    • Multiples and Factors
    • Significant Digits
    • and more…
Register

Mathematical Modelling

Mathematical modelling is part of the math curriculum from grades 1 – 6, but isn’t well defined. This course looks at understanding what a mathematical model is, how to create one, and how to interpret information presented to you. There are also numerous opportunities to practice making and interpreting models and suggestions for presenting math models to your students.

Topics Include:

    • What is a Math Model?
    • Types of Math Models
    • The 6 Steps of Math Modelling
    • Making Accurate Predictions
    • Understanding Bias in Data
    • Non-Linear Models
    • AI and Big Data
    • Integrating Math Modelling with the Curriculum
Register

Financial Literacy

This course thoroughly explores concepts in financial literacy and contains lots of interactive resources (including fillable spreadsheets and calculators for you and your students).

Topics include:

    • Canadian currency
    • Methods of Payment
    • Household Budgets
    • Taxes (Sales and Income)
    • Making, Storing, and Saving Money
    • Borrowing and Making Purchases (including Mortgages and Loans)
    • Investing
    • Inflation and Opportunity Costs
    • Exchange Rates
    • and more…
Register
Registration Issues

If you encounter any issues or concerns please email our K – 12 Academic Coordinator, Pamela Brittain, at [email protected]

New Courses Coming Soon

    • Logic and Coding
    • Operations: Part 2
    • Proofs Using Games
    • Probability and Stats
    • Plus mini-courses on Infinity, Graph Theory, Binary and Other Base Systems, and more…
Mailing List

Mailing List

The Fields Institute is proud to offer two main programs for elementary classrooms and educators: (1) Ask a Mathematician: brings math experts live into the classroom (virtually) to talk to students about what they do and spread the joy of mathematics. (2) Teacher programs including Foundational modules (for teachers looking to boost their math skills and dive into why the math we teach works the way it does) and Enrichment modules (for teachers who want to learn new and interesting math facts they can bring back into their classroom). We are also working on some large scale programs for students, additional static content on our website, and resources to help educators learn and teach math. If you are interested in being contacted when new programs become available please fill out this form. We are also looking for individuals who might be interested in helping us create/present materials. Please feel free to send this form to anyone you feel might be interested and you are welcome to reach out to Pamela Brittain, Academic Coordinator at [email protected] for more information.
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