The Asian Psychological Services and Assessment (APSA) in partnership with the Catholic Educational system of the Diocese of Iba (CESDI)headed by Fr. Daniel O. Presto and Columban College President Msgr. Crisostomo Cacho organized a seminar-workshop on Learning Mathematics Using Visual Models last May 29, 2012 at the Columban Hotel in Subic, Zambales. Around 78 grade school and high school Math teachers from Central Luzon participated in the workshop. The seminar- workshop aimed to help educational institutions in improving their teachers’ competencies and teaching strategies in Mathematics using concrete objects like building blocks.

Dr. George Gagnon, a professor from the University of California, Berkeley , who has studied Mathematics learning for thirty years and who designed Math models himself, conducted the Math workshop. Helping teachers make sense of the visual models to teach and explain Math concepts necessary for student success is the main goal of this seminar workshop .Foundations of Math (place value, number relationships and applied operations) and their importance were recounted . Algebra (operations and equations) and proportions (reasoning and equations) were also tackled during the workshop.