PRINCIPLES AND STRATEGIES IN TEACHING MATH
FOUNDATION OF MATH TEACHING AND LEARNING
TEACHING IS BOTH AN ART AND A SCIENCE.
What makes an effective mathematics teacher?
LESSON 1. THE NATURE OF MATH
VIEWS ON MATHEMATICS TEACHING AND LEARNING
Learning mathematics means mastering a fixed set of basic skills.
Mathematics is a series of arbitrary rules, handed down by the teacher, who in turn
got them from some very smart source.
Mathematics is about getting the right answers.
There is only one way to solve any problem.
VIEWS ON MATHEMATICS TEACHING AND LEARNING
Every problem must have a predetermined solution.
Mathematics is boring and nothing you can do will make it interesting.
Mathematics never changes.
Only very intelligent people can understand mathematics. Others cannot do it at
all.
Males are better in mathematics than females.
VIEWS ON MATHEMATICS TEACHING AND LEARNING
The harder mathematics is, the better it is – if it is too easy, it cannot be
really mathematics.
Mathematics requires the memorization of a lot of rules and formulas.
There is no room for opinions in mathematics. Everything is right or wrong, true or
false.
Mathematics is made up of a number of unrelated topics.
VIEWS ON MATHEMATICS TEACHING AND LEARNING
If you are good in language, you are not good in mathematics.
You have to be really good in math to appreciate it.
THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF TEACHERS OF MATHEMATICS (NCTM), DEFINES THE NATURE OF
MATHEMATICS AS FOLLOWS:
MATHEMATICS IS A STUDY OF PATTERNS AND RELATIONSHIPS.
Mathematical ideas are interwoven with each other. Students must explore the
recurring ideas or the patterns and discover the relationships between and among
them
MATHEMATICS IS A WAY OF THINKING.
The problem-solving activities and various lessons in mathematics train us to
think logically, analytically, critically and systematically. In a way, mathematics
provides us with the thinking skills needed to confront everyday problems.
MATHEMATICS IS AN ART.
Mathematics is characterized by order and internal consistency. Numerous
patterns can be found in numbers and geometric figures. Tessellations, weaving and
tiling are a few explicit examples of mathematics in art. By exploring the
orderliness and consistency of mathematics, we learn to appreciate its beauty.
MATHEMATICS IS A LANGUAGE.
It is used to communicate complex processes and thoughts efficiently using
symbols and specific and precise terms. Mathematics has its own register, or
special vocabulary, which students have to learn to be able to communicate well
about mathematics and to speak and think like mathematicians. For instance,
mathematicians would not use ‘equal’, ‘congruent’ and ‘similar’ interchangeably as
these terms mean different things.
MATHEMATICS IS A TOOL
Many occupations require the knowledge of mathematics. Scientists, engineers,
businessmen, and many other professions use a great deal of mathematics to do their
work.
LESSON 2. THE GOALS OF MATHEMATICS EDUCATION
MATHEMATICS TEACHERS ENABLE STUDENTS TO:
Value mathematics
Students will value mathematics if they see how it plays a role in their real
lives and in society. Thus, your task is to make mathematics learning meaningful to
the students by connecting the lesson to their real-life experiences and allowing
students to experience mathematics through actual measurements and explorations.
MATHEMATICS TEACHERS ENABLE STUDENTS TO:
Reason mathematically
Mathematics trains the mind to think analytically and logically. Teachers
should provide activities that will provide students opportunities to reason
logically, make conjectures, gather evidence, build arguments, and arrive at
informed and sound decisions. The process of obtaining the correct answers should
be emphasized.
MATHEMATICS TEACHERS ENABLE STUDENTS TO:
Communicate mathematics
To be able to communicate well in mathematics, students must be familiar with
the mathematics register, or the special vocabulary of mathematics. You must be a
good model in the use of correct and precise mathematical terms and phrases. You
must also encourage students to verbalize and defend their answers.
MATHEMATICS TEACHERS ENABLE STUDENTS TO:
Solve problems
Problem solving is the heart of mathematics. Students must be exposed to a
variety of problems – problems that vary in context, in level of difficulty and in
mathematical methods required for their solutions. Students must learn to analyze
the conditions in a problem, to restate them, to plan strategies for solving it, to
develop several solutions, and to work collaboratively with others in search of the
solution. Most of all, students must develop the discipline and perseverance to
solve a problem no matter how complex it is.
MATHEMATICS TEACHERS ENABLE STUDENTS TO:
Develop confidence
Taking pride in one’s competence in mathematics is all-important. Sadly, a
number of people find it fashionable to boast of their incompetence in mathematics.
To go further in mathematics, students must develop confidence in their ability to
learn and do mathematics. Such confidence is built on success in mathematical tasks
in the classroom.
