What teachers can do to make mathematics more popular
Sunday, 23 November 2008
M A Islam
MATHEMATICS a very important subject for the students. Every year a good number of students fail in this subject in SSC and HSC. Knowing mathematics well has been regarded as a 'matter of prestige'/ 'credit' in our country for ages. Being strong in mathematics makes one confident about studies; being weak in this subject, on the contrary, makes one disinterested in this subject and one's higher education might be threatened for this reason. While students need to be serious about this subject to grow intellectually and think critically and logically, the teachers and guardians have also a great role to play.
It is very commonly seen that teachers go direct to the exercise without giving the students some background idea. Such approach of the maths teacher of starting a new exercise often puzzle the students. To make maths popular, teachers need to give background of the chapter and also need to discuss the chapters. When teachers will spend enough time for preparing the students for the exercises, they will be eagerly waiting for the moment to start the exercise and they will start enjoying it.
Fixing posters on the biography of great mathematicians on the wall of the schools can be very inspiring for the students. By reading their interesting lives and works, they will grow interest in them for this subject. Some of them would even dream of becoming great mathematicians like them.
Teachers can often arrange maths game in the school. This would cost little, but students will start enjoying the subject more. Such a practice eventually will make the task of the teachers easier. Teachers will feel more comfortable with a class of students who love mathematics and are good in mathematics.
Arranging mental arithmetic classes in school can be very inspiring for the students. When I was in primary school, our mental arithmetic classes were usually held on Thursdays. I remember how the whole week we waited for Thursday's class. The teacher asked us a question and we used to compete to come up first with the correct answer. Such live classes used to cheer us up very much and we became more inclined to learn the subject so that we could perform better in the next Thursday's class.
Along with the teachers, guardians also have an important role to play in shaping up the mathematical faculty of students. They can engage their wards in various practical activities which will make the student use their brain to do some mathematics.
Guardians can send their kids for shopping. Shopping would definitely make the students calculate. If one KG of meat costs Tk. 190, how much would 1Kg and 400 gram of meat cost them-they will need to do some calculation instantly, without using calculator or excel sheet on the personal computer.
Guardians can involve their kids for banking and insurance calculations. This will help them understand the issues of interest rate. Also, business families can sometimes make their young kids find out probable profit and loss of their businesses, and non-business families can present hypothetical situations to the students.
Guardians should encourage students in 'research' of mathematics---students should be given ample time for maths. Guardins and parents need to allow them to be busy with mathematics. Let them be with one sum for as much time as they need. The idea is: let them solve themselves. What can be more exciting for them than the moment when they will be able to prove a geometry problem on their own, may be after two days of continuous efforts.
MATHEMATICS a very important subject for the students. Every year a good number of students fail in this subject in SSC and HSC. Knowing mathematics well has been regarded as a 'matter of prestige'/ 'credit' in our country for ages. Being strong in mathematics makes one confident about studies; being weak in this subject, on the contrary, makes one disinterested in this subject and one's higher education might be threatened for this reason. While students need to be serious about this subject to grow intellectually and think critically and logically, the teachers and guardians have also a great role to play.
It is very commonly seen that teachers go direct to the exercise without giving the students some background idea. Such approach of the maths teacher of starting a new exercise often puzzle the students. To make maths popular, teachers need to give background of the chapter and also need to discuss the chapters. When teachers will spend enough time for preparing the students for the exercises, they will be eagerly waiting for the moment to start the exercise and they will start enjoying it.
Fixing posters on the biography of great mathematicians on the wall of the schools can be very inspiring for the students. By reading their interesting lives and works, they will grow interest in them for this subject. Some of them would even dream of becoming great mathematicians like them.
Teachers can often arrange maths game in the school. This would cost little, but students will start enjoying the subject more. Such a practice eventually will make the task of the teachers easier. Teachers will feel more comfortable with a class of students who love mathematics and are good in mathematics.
Arranging mental arithmetic classes in school can be very inspiring for the students. When I was in primary school, our mental arithmetic classes were usually held on Thursdays. I remember how the whole week we waited for Thursday's class. The teacher asked us a question and we used to compete to come up first with the correct answer. Such live classes used to cheer us up very much and we became more inclined to learn the subject so that we could perform better in the next Thursday's class.
Along with the teachers, guardians also have an important role to play in shaping up the mathematical faculty of students. They can engage their wards in various practical activities which will make the student use their brain to do some mathematics.
Guardians can send their kids for shopping. Shopping would definitely make the students calculate. If one KG of meat costs Tk. 190, how much would 1Kg and 400 gram of meat cost them-they will need to do some calculation instantly, without using calculator or excel sheet on the personal computer.
Guardians can involve their kids for banking and insurance calculations. This will help them understand the issues of interest rate. Also, business families can sometimes make their young kids find out probable profit and loss of their businesses, and non-business families can present hypothetical situations to the students.
Guardians should encourage students in 'research' of mathematics---students should be given ample time for maths. Guardins and parents need to allow them to be busy with mathematics. Let them be with one sum for as much time as they need. The idea is: let them solve themselves. What can be more exciting for them than the moment when they will be able to prove a geometry problem on their own, may be after two days of continuous efforts.