CHALLENGES IN HANDLING MATHEMATICS CLASS

Rene G. Aquino

While all subject areas share some of the same issues and concerns, Mathematics teachers have topics that are precise with regard to students. Most of our students can read and write which they have learned in the elementary school years. Mathematics however, can be alarming to students, particularly as they advance from basic addition and subtraction to fractions and even to algebra and geometry and other branches of Mathematics. . In order to help and guide Math teachers cope with these issues, they have to consider the different concerns encountered during Mathematics class along with the possible solutions.

Many students have come to believe that Mathematics is a difficult subject and that they feel they are not good in dealing with numbers. This type of attitude can results to failing without even trying the different Math concepts.

Overcoming this belief can be difficult to a teacher to introduce lessons in Mathematics. The teacher then has to reassure the learners that they can overcome this fear in problem solving, evaluating and simplifying worded problems. Learning to Love Math is one best way a Math Teacher can provide the learners in order to boost their self- confidence using different strategies like Trial and Error , Guess and Game, Peer Tutors ,Verbal or Gesture prompts to increase the possibility of getting correct responses.

Also , In dealing with Mathematics does not lend itself to a great deal of varied instruction. Teachers can have students to work in groups for a certain concept/ topics and create varied outputs dealing with Math, considering that Mathematics is direct instruction followed by a period of solving problems.

If students failed to attend Math class, it will be difficult for them to catch up, especially for new topics being discussed on the day they were absent such as looking for variables, A teacher will be faced with the issue of helping those students learn the topics on their own.

Students failed to see the connection of Math in real life. And that they find it difficult to learn the topics and cannot see why they have to learn the basic operations, deal with problem solving, evaluate expressions and simplify fractions. Teachers can get around this by giving real-life examples showing where students might use the math concepts being taught .

Their experiences at home, in school which needs further understanding in the concepts of Mathematics can greatly motivate the learners not to missed their classes.

Math teachers often have classes with varied students in terms of their ability levels within the same classroom. This might result from gaps in prerequisite knowledge or students' individual feelings in regard to their ability to learn math. Teachers must look into ways and decide how to meet the needs of the individual students in their classrooms, through additional tutoring or sitting down with students, differentiated activities in order to assess their abilities and reassure them of their ability to give correct response.

Normally, Math teachers have many demands on their before- and after- school time from students who need extra help. This may involve a greater perseverance on the part of math teachers to extend their time and their commitment as well, but the extra help is important to support students understand and master the topics being learned.

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The author is Teacher III at Eduardo Cojuangco, National Vocational School Paniqui, Tarlac