Nation-building through Problem-solving: ProbSET Continues to Expand its Network of Trainers in its 2nd year

Time and again we encounter mathematics educators with unflagging dedication and, alongside them, often inspired by them, students with unbridled mathematical curiosity. These teachers and students are everywhere—from the hearts of cities to the far-flung reaches of the provinces—but the resources necessary to tap into their potential are not. Challenged and invigorated by this, the Ateneo de Manila University Department of Mathematics launched Problem Solving Enrichment and Training or ProbSET, a hybrid program aimed at nurturing communities passionate about mathematical problem solving across the Philippines. Underpinning this effort is the belief that honing the youth's problem-solving skills is most crucial to nation-building.

On the motivations behind ProbSET, Fr. Ben Nebres—professor emeritus of the Department of Mathematics—says, “I’ve found… that our problem-solving culture is very weak. Teachers are afraid to do a problem in class which they do not know how to solve… We really wanted to start this problem-solving culture by giving problems to [students] that sometimes I do not know how to solve… The point is that we enter [into] the process of problem solving.” Fr. Nebres also highlights an important mindset for solving real-world problems: “Problems are unique… Contexts are very different. And so you always have to begin by immersing yourself."

ProbSET has three main components: In ProbSET A, teachers undergo enrichment of their background on problem structures and heuristics to develop their mathematical content knowledge. In ProbSET Camp, teachers are guided in curating problem-solving modules and designing their own problem-solving sessions to foster deepening of pedagogical content knowledge. In ProbSET B, teachers who qualify to be trainers, along with volunteers from Ateneo de Manila University, train selected public school senior high school students by going through non-routine problems.

The pilot implementation ran from April to December 2022 and was met with resounding success. Partnerships were established with Southern Luzon State University (SLSU), West Visayas State University (WVSU),and the DepEd Division of Davao de Oro (DepEd DdO). Over 150 students from 31 public schools in Iloilo City, Quezon Province, and Davao de Oro participated in the pilot run. The project yielded valuable insights on mathematics education related to, for instance, the project's predominantly online modality and the importance of the local tongue in educating students of particular regions.

ProbSET, now in its 2nd iteration, was launched on July 22, 2023. The launch was attended by representatives from AdMU and all partner institutions (SLSU, WVSU, DepEd DdO and new partners Central Luzon State University (CLSU), Iloilo Science and Technology University (ISAT-U), and DepEd Division of Ormoc City (DepEd Ormoc). It featured a presentation of highlights from the pilot run; talks by Dr. Po-Shen Loh of Carnegie Mellon University, Fr. Nebres, and Dr. Queena Lee-Chua; and a ceremonial signing of Memoranda of Agreement by university presidents (or their representatives) and DepEd superintendents.

ProbSET A is currently underway, with over 30 teacher trainers from the 6 partner institutions. They will finish their training in January 2024, after which ProbSET Camp and ProbSET B will commence.

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Text: Juan Carlo Mallari

Photos: Ateneo Department of Mathematics