MAKING MATH INTERESTING

EDEN CARABEO

Math has always been a feared and dreaded subject for most students. Three out of ten students in elementary and even in high school find mathematics to be a tough subject.

But this so called “nightmare” for many students can turn out to be one of the easiest and fun-filled subjects, if taught in an innovative manner.

There are students who like the mathematical concepts and love to deal with them while others just shy away from the thought of it.

The actual reason of showing disinterest in maths can come out of a phobia of numbers. Mathematics is an abstract subject, which involves using large numbers, placement of numerals while performing subtraction, long multiplication and long division.

Students usually find the concepts of carry-over and borrowing, drafting statements for number stories, determining operations to perform while solving problems and geometrical concepts difficult.

But in the 21st century academic setting, students are ahead of their times and are masters of multitasking. These dynamic young minds need innovative and non-conventional techniques of teaching that will captivate and motivate them towards greater learning. It is upon the education providers to implement an integrated approach towards teaching subjects by incorporating activities like games, music, dance and art.

To make maths a fun-filled subject, a few strategies should be adopted which will break the ice and motivate students to take up math. This could be possible if a new topic is introduced with role play: Role playing can demonstrate the Indian and the International Number System, profit and loss, equivalent fraction and similar concepts.

Another is dance and music: Dancing and singing can teach the young minds basics of multiplication, division, factors and multiples; then there’s

Housie game: Play this fun game to teach the four orders of operation to the kids; Ludo: A classic game, ludo can teach the basics of LCM (Least Common Multiple); Chinese checkers: This strategic board game can teach the concept of prime and composite numbers; Origami: Delicate and beautiful, origami can enumerate on fractions, angles, circles and polygons; and Currency, stamps and flags: Teach the concepts of area and perimeter using these t ool s.

These approaches not only induce a fun-filled learning experience but pave a seamless transition from classroom teaching to productive learning.

— oOo— The author is Master Teacher II at Justino Sevilla High School, Arayat, Pampanga

ERLINDA L. SAMONTE

To enter the teaching profession is like entering a park. But it is not the mainstream park that you will encounter. It is more likely a Jurassic park, a classroom that consists of many dinosaurs with different abilities and characteristics. Based from a true story movie, Mr. Clark is brave enough to enter this park. He didn’t think if he will be the prey of these dinosaurs which are the students, that anytime they are ready to eat and demolish him. But Mr. Clark didn’t bother of the consequences that can happen. His main goal was to tame these dinosaurs and to be friendly with him and with the other dinosaurs.

In the movie, humanistic school of thought was used by Mr. Clark in order to achieve the goal with these kids. It doesn’t bother that if these kids belong to least performing group of the graduating students, slow to get their lessons and everybody believes that they cannot go further. Given that he is an idealistic teacher, he believes that these kids can go out with the limits.

You are clueless of what kind of students are you going to teach when you enter the room, different attitudes of students, their hobbies and their previous environment. But as a teacher you should consider students doing unnecessary things and the like. Your learning environment was more like a zoo where animals have escaped with their cages and no one can control them. Coping up with the unethical acts and rudeness of the students was never been easy.

Humanistic school believes that, “Having good feelings about others is also essential to healthy development.” This is what exactly a teacher should do when he/she will create rules in class. Just like Mr. Clark did when he created rules in his class. One of his rules was about respect. It is important to respect and accept others even thought they have differences.

Classrooms help students to become eager to learn something every day. According to Abraham Maslow, the school and classroom environment must help youth satisfy such essential human needs as personal safety and security, love belonging and achievement. If the students feel that they are comfortable within their classroom, they don’t see learning as a burden.

It is not important that students are intelligent just to acquire learning. As a teacher, you just need to manage and understand the differences of your learners to be able to fit and adjust in with their environment. Teaching profession is not all about your work being a teacher, not for the sake of the salary, but for the sake of your students. Remember that your students are your biggest investments. These were the ideas that the humanistic school of thought and the movie wanted to tell us. We need to accept the differences of each child to understand them more.

— oOo— The author is Teacher III at Porac Model Community High School