Perspective! MATH: GOING BEYOND THE CLASSROOM

ANA V. MACAPAGAL

Mathematics, which goes beyond the four corners of the classroom and pervades life at any age and in any circumstance, has two goals: Critical Thinking and Problem Solving.

According to Scriven and Paul (1987), critical thinking is the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action.

Mathematical problem solving, according to Polya (1945 & 1962) is finding a way around a difficulty, around an obstacle, and finding a solution to a problem that is unknown.

“These two goals are to be achieved with an organized and rigorous curriculum content, a well-defined set of high-level skills and processes, desirable values and attitudes, and appropriate tools, taking into account the different contexts of Filipino learners”, according to the K-12 Curriculum Guide. Meanwhile, there are five content areas in the curriculum, as adopted from the framework prepared by MATHTED & SEI (2010): Numbers and Number Sense, Measurement, Geometry, Patterns and Algebra, and Probability and Statistics.

The specific skills and processes to be developed are: knowing and understanding; estimating, computing and solving; visualizing and modelling; representing and communicating; conjecturing, reasoning, proving and decision-making; and applying and connecting. The following values and attitudes are to be honed as well: accuracy, creativity, objectivity, perseverance, and productivity.

The use of appropriate tools is necessary in teaching mathematics. These include: manipulative objects, measuring devices, calculators and computers, smart phones and tablet PCs, and the Internet. Mathematics from K-10 is a skills subject. By itself, it is all about quantities, shapes and figures, functions, logic, and reasoning. Mathematics is also a tool of science and a language complete with its own notations and symbols and “grammar” rules, with which concepts and ideas are effectively expressed.

The K to 10 Mathematics Curriculum provides a solid foundation for Mathematics at Grades 11 to 12. More importantly, it provides necessary concepts and life skills needed by Filipino learners as they proceed to the next stage in their life as learners and as citizens.

-oOoThe author is Teacher III Nicanor David Vergara High School