Public Science & Reference

An Innovative and Fun Way of Teaching Math

Frank Ho

Teacher and founder of Ho Math and Chess

www.mathandchess.com

I have observed that one of the main reasons that children hate math is they have not mastered the foundation of math, surprisingly the root of problems can be traced to the basics they learned in the elementary grades such as addition, subtraction, multiplication or division. When elementary students are asked why do we have math? Lots of these children can relate math to our daily life such as shopping, cooking, measuring, driving, time, shapes etc. and most of the time they think math is important because it has something to do with counting and numbers.

It is very good these youngsters realize that math has relations to our daily life but does the traditional way of doing of math worksheets such as 2 + 3 reflect the environment today our youth lives? It certainly does not. Math is not just about counting numbers. Apart from teaching the basics of addition, subtraction, multiplication or division, math is supposed to teach our next generation on how to solve problems and be creative. Part of the problems why some children hate math worksheets is simply because these traditional worksheets do not represent the world they are living now.

WHY I  LOVE TEACHING MATHEMATICS ?

Friends, Why I teach mathematics? This is a question that does have many answers, depending on   where emphasis is placed. I teach mathematics because I am fortunate enough to have discovered that it is “my thing” to do. But mathematics is worth teaching in itself, for it is a powerful, useful thinking and communications tool. Why teach mathematics? My answer is because it has relevant content, structure, and form for each and every individual in our society.

I teach mathematics because of the personal satisfactions and self realization it brings to me in a sense of social purposive ness and self-identity. I teach mathematics because its lessons in learning fascinate me. I enjoy the look of insight in the eyes of students and the sense of achievement in relating to students when they drop by to “just mention” and share their subsequent attainments.

From the prospective of ex-salesman, Insurance agent, office worker, engineer, and graduate student, I have found teaching mathematics to be most satisfying of my experiences. The small exciting bit of anticipation in the morning, the moment before entering to face a class of students, the rush of involvement, and the bits of fulfilment as well as, alas, the failures all persist day after day, year after year, as reasons why I teach mathematics.

With classes over, the anticipation, planning, preparation and development of strategy for lessons is a continuing and satisfying activity. The challenge of each succeeding day, looking forward to a small improvement, overcoming the failures and faults, and giving each day its opportunity for fulfilment are reasons why I teach mathematics.

TEACHING OF MATHEMATICS

Every teacher of mathematics needs to be informed and convinced about the educational values of his subject. His own conviction enables him to convince the students, parents and the society. These are as under:-

a)     Practical value—He cannot do without learning how to count and calculate. Any person ignorant of it is easily cheated counting, notation, addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, weighing, measuring, selling, loving are fundamental processors of mathematics having immense practical value. It has become the basis of world’s entire business and commercial system.

b)    Disciplinary value—It trains and disciplines the mind. It is exact time and point knowledge and therefore creates discipline in the mind. It develops reasoning and thinking powers more and demands less from memory. Reasoning in mathematics possesses certain characteristics which are suitable for the training of learner’s mind. These are:-

1)      Characteristic of simplicity—it teaches that definite facts are always expressed in simple language which are always easily understand.

2)    Characteristic of Accuracy—Accurate reasoning thinking and judgment are essential for its study. Accuracy, exactness and precision compose the beauty of mathematics

3)    Characteristic of certainty of results— The answer is either right or wrong. Subjectivity or difference of opinion between the teacher and the taught is missing. The student can verify his result by reverse process. It is possible for the child to remove his difficulty by self-effort and to be sure of the removal. He develops faith in self-effort which is the secret of success in life.

4)    Characteristic of originality— Most work in mathematics demands original thinking, reproduction and cramming of ideas of others is not very much appreciated. When the child has a new or a different mathematical problem, it is only his originality which keeps him going. The discovery or establishment (derivation) of a formula or conversion of formula in one form to another is also his original work. This practice in originality enables the child to face new and challenging problems with confidence.

Guide:      Dr.S.S.Chaugule, Reader & Head Special Project Research Centre, YCMOU, Nasik, Maharashtra

Research student: Donnipad Manjunath

INTRODUCTION:

Mathematics, according to National Education Policy 1986, should be visualized as the vehicle to train a child to think, reason, analyze and articulate logically. Apart from being a specific subject, it should be treated as a concomitant to any subject involving analysis and reasoning. With the introduction of computers in schools, educational computing and emergence of learning through understanding of cause-effect relationships and the interplay of variables, the teaching of Mathematics will be suitably redesigned to bring it in line with modern technological devices so that learning takes place effectively.

Learning often takes place best when students have opportunities to express ideas and get feedback from their peers. But for feedback to be most helpful to learners, it must consist of more than the provision of correct answers. Feedback ought to be analytical, to be suggestive, and to come at a time when students are interested in it. And then there must be time for students to reflect on the feedback they receive, to make adjustments and to try again- a requirement of mathematics education that was neglected, due to rigorous practice of traditional methods of teaching. It was also observed that; students who frequently try to solve exercises related to new mathematics topics by finding the inter-connections and who discuss practical problems related to everyday life tend to score good in mathematics examinations. Teachers, who use of active learning strategies like students working on mathematics projects, connecting mathematical knowledge to everyday life when solving mathematics problems and actively participating in peer-group interaction have always significantly contributed to good performance in mathematics.

Guide:      Dr.S.S.Chaugule, Reader & Head Special Project Research Centre, YCMOU, Nasik, Maharashtra

Research student: Donnipad Manjunath

INTRODUCTION:

Mathematics, according to National Education Policy 1986, should be visualized as the vehicle to train a child to think, reason, analyze and articulate logically. Apart from being a specific subject, it should be treated as a concomitant to any subject involving analysis and reasoning. With the introduction of computers in schools, educational computing and emergence of learning through understanding of cause-effect relationships and the interplay of variables, the teaching of Mathematics will be suitably redesigned to bring it in line with modern technological devices so that learning takes place effectively.

Learning often takes place best when students have opportunities to express ideas and get feedback from their peers. But for feedback to be most helpful to learners, it must consist of more than the provision of correct answers. Feedback ought to be analytical, to be suggestive, and to come at a time when students are interested in it. And then there must be time for students to reflect on the feedback they receive, to make adjustments and to try again- a requirement of mathematics education that was neglected, due to rigorous practice of traditional methods of teaching. It was also observed that; students who frequently try to solve exercises related to new mathematics topics by finding the inter-connections and who discuss practical problems related to everyday life tend to score good in mathematics examinations. Teachers, who use of active learning strategies like students working on mathematics projects, connecting mathematical knowledge to everyday life when solving mathematics problems and actively participating in peer-group interaction have always significantly contributed to good performance in mathematics.

MATHEMATICS LABORATORY – An Alternate Teaching method

Donnipad Manjunath

Research Student

YCMOU, Nashik.

Guide: Dr. Chaugule S.S

Head Special Research Center, YCMOU.

Introduction

Mathematics education has traditionally emphasized the worst face of mathematics. Students are taught many mathematical facts, but they are rarely taught what the “mathematics process” is and how to employ it. As a result, engineers and scientists today often do not know how to use mathematics, and the population as a whole has failed to understand the relevance of mathematics. The mathematics process is both a creative and explorative process and is the most important face of mathematics. It is the fountainhead from which mathematical knowledge flows and a central component of the infrastructure that makes today’s technological and informational world possible.

Every student of mathematics needs to learn the mathematics process. The best way to learn the process is to practice it. However, high school and university students are given little chance to experience the full process of creating and exploring mathematics. Instead, they are taught merely about the byproducts of the process/facts using perfunctory procedures and calculations separated from the process, which made them.

Mathematics is an indispensable part of education. Its practical utility is not understood by many. This has happened because of sheer ignorance of educators and learners of mathematics. This ignorance has led to skepticism or phobia of mathematics. Mathematics is not born skeptical but made skeptical due to heterogeneous factors. The National Education Policy 1986 (NEP 1986) has brought many thoughts in the education system. These thoughts are the milestones to bring development into the system. The policy makers had studied the heterogeneous factors that have over the years made mathematics skeptical thoroughly and recommended a few suggestions towards improvising mathematics education in the country. Further, National Curriculum Framework 2005 (NCF 2005) also called for Mathematization of the child’s mind.