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| Overview: |
Pathways to Confident Mathematical Inquiry is a 2-day workshop designed to rethink what it means to learn mathematics. Through active participation, you will experience mathematics as learners, engaging in the kinds of inquiry, reasoning, and sense-making we hope to foster in our classrooms. Through opportunities to reflect on pedagogy, learning environments, and mathematical processes, participants will develop a deeper understanding of how learners build fluency, confidence, and mathematical thinking.
Participants will be divided into two groups to explore how the big ideas of the workshop transfer across age ranges. Teachers of 3–7 (EY-G2) year olds will work with Sean Walker, and teachers of 8–13 (G3-G8) year olds will work with William Polan. Participants will also come together as a whole group at key points to build a shared vision of mathematical inquiry and reflect across contexts.
Over the two days, we will:
- Consider the capacity of all learners to engage as mathematicians
- Experience how inquiry-based mathematics can shift classrooms toward sense-making, reasoning, and ownership
- Balance theory with authentic, practical strategies and examples
- Explore the different roles of the facilitator in an inquiry-based classroom
- Examine how learning environments support the development of both competence and confidence in mathematics
- Investigate how invitations and provocations can foster a culture of curiosity
- Reflect on the importance of our own relationships, and our learners’ relationships, with mathematics
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By Sean Walker
Description for 3 year olds to 8 year olds: |
Please join us for this special event that amplifies the mathematical opportunities that exist in and surround young learners' lives. The summit will explore the pedagogy of mathematising - honouring young children’s capacity to engage as mathematicians to explore and make sense of mathematics that is relevant to them.
We will explore mathematics through the lenses of play, conceptual and playful learning and inquiry. Our hope is that you will leave with a new-found confidence in your own understanding of mathematical concepts and language, as well as a stronger conviction to influence the teams you are part of to resist reducing the learning of mathematics to worksheets, cute activities and rote learning!
Maximising the opportunity of being in a school, we will explore the learning spaces, engage in our own mathematical investigations and encounter various materials, resources and manipulative. In addition to learning about mathematics, you will learn through the mathematics you engage in as mathematicians yourselves! |
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By William Polan
Description for 8 year olds to 13 (G3-8) year olds: |
Cultivating Confident Mathematical Thinkers Through Inquiry (G3–8)
In many classrooms, mathematics is experienced as something to be shown, practiced, and mastered through following steps. While this can produce correct answers, it does not always develop confident learners who see themselves as capable mathematical thinkers. What learning environments help students build both competence and confidence in mathematics?
In this two-day workshop, participants will experience how inquiry-based mathematics can shift classrooms from answer-getting toward sense-making, reasoning, and ownership. Through the use of carefully designed provocations and big ideas, educators will explore how all learners can enter mathematics with curiosity, contribute their thinking, and build understanding collaboratively. As students are given space to design, test, and refine their ideas, they begin to see themselves as mathematicians, not just receivers of methods.
A key focus of the workshop is the relationship between creativity, inquiry, and rigor. As students pursue more unique and personally meaningful approaches, mathematics becomes more complex. Rather than lowering expectations, inquiry-based environments can lead learners to engage more deeply with mathematical relationships, building both confidence and conceptual understanding. Participants will leave with practical routines and adaptable approaches they can use immediately, while also rethinking what it means to learn mathematics.
This workshop also addresses common misconceptions about inquiry-based mathematics. What about fluency? What about rigor? How do we stay aligned with curriculum expectations? Participants will explore how these are not sacrificed, but strengthened, when students are making sense of mathematics. Through intentional design, learners develop efficiency, accuracy, and flexibility, often reaching greater levels of complexity because they are making decisions, not following them. Rigor, in this context, emerges through student thinking rather than being imposed through procedure alone.
Essential Questions
- What learning experiences help students see themselves as capable mathematicians?
- How can we create space for student thinking while maintaining mathematical depth?
- In what ways can creativity and inquiry lead to increased rigor in mathematics?
- How do we support fluency and accuracy through understanding, rather than repetition alone?
- What role do teacher moves and task design play in shaping student confidence?
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| About William Polan |
William Polan is a Math Instructional Coach and Fifth Grade (Y6) Teacher at Panyaden International School in Thailand. He brings a wealth of experience from international schools, where he has served in roles including International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (PYP) teacher, PYP Coordinator, Mathematics Curriculum Leader, Key Stage Coordinator, and Director of Studies.
His forthcoming book, The Inquiry Math Classroom: Growing Confidence and Bringing Equity to K-8 Settings, will be released by Routledge in early Fall 2026 and guides teachers in infusing inquiry-driven, student-centred learning into their mathematics classrooms. |
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| About Sean Walker |
| Sean has been teaching for 31 years and is currently teaching a mixed-age class (3-5 year olds) for the second year after teaching Kindergarten (5-6 year olds) for four years. He is the GLL (Grade Level Leader) for Early Years at his school in Paris, France. Sean is certified to lead CBCI (Concept-based curriculum and instruction) workshops based on the work of Lynn Erickson as well as PYP workshops for the IB. Previously, Sean has been a maths coordinator and worked with the national curriculum in the UK and a state curriculum in the USA. Sean is passionate about play, playful learning and inquiry to nurture children’s curiosity and excitement about learning and the world they live in. |
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| Venue: |
Bangkok Patana School
643 ซอย ลาซาล Bang Na Tai, Bang Na, Bangkok 10260, Thailand |
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| Hotel options close to the school: |
- Hotel Koon (10 min Taxi Ride)
- The Tepp Serviced Apartments (10 min Walk)
- The Orion Serviced Apartments (10 min Walk)
- Novotel Bangna (20 min Taxi Ride)
- Dusit Princess (25 min Taxi Ride)
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| Timings: |
8.30 am to 3.30 pm
Registration at 8.00 am on the 24th of October 2026 |
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| Investment |
USD 850 Closing Date 15th October 2026
USD 700 Early Bird Offer Till 1st September 2026
USD 650 Early Bird Offer Till 1st June 2026
Includes: Certificate of Participation for 16 Professional Development Hours, light breakfast, lunch and a coffee break. |
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| Upcoming Workshops |
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| Building Learning Competency in the Inquiry Classroom: Assets for Life! |
| In the inquiry classroom, we aim to nurture learners who see themselves as capable, curious, resourceful individuals with a strong sense of agency. |
 October 31st & November 1st, 2026 |
 Bangkok Patana School |
 USD 750 Early Bird Offer Till 1st May 2026 |
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| Teaching Learners with English as an Additional Language |
| Teachers in today’s classrooms are increasingly working with students who are learning through English as an Additional Language (EAL). |
| November 7th & 8th, 2026 |
| Hong Kong Academy |
| USD 700 Early Bird Offer Till 1st April 2026 |
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| Unlocking Learning for All: UDL & Tier 1 for Inclusive Classrooms |
| This dynamic workshop empowers educators to create truly inclusive learning environments where all students thrive. |
| March 6th & 7th, 2027 |
| Hong Kong Academy |
| USD 750 Early Bird Offer Till 1st November 2026 |
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