EDU 370: TEACHING METHODS - MATHEMATICS

S CHOOL OF E DUCATION

L ECTURE N OTES

January, 2021.
1 LECTURE ONE:
MATHEMATICS: ITS NATURE AND AIMS OF
TEACHING IT
It is worthwhile to begin this course by attempting to explain what the term “mathe-
matics” means. Also as mathematics teachers, we should be clear in our minds what
the aims of teaching mathematics are. This section introduces you to some important
ideas which should be clearly understood by a student-teacher being prepared to teach
mathematics at secondary school level.

1.1 Self diagnostic Test

1. When did Mathematics as a proper Science start?

2. Explain what you understand by the term mathematics.

3. Differentiate between Mathematics as a body of knowledge and Mathematics as

an activity.

4. Differentiate between the roles played by the teacher and the learner during
mathematics concept formation.

1.2 Specific objectives

At the end of this UNIT you should be able to:

1. Define what the term mathematics means.

2. State the general aims of teaching mathematics.

3. Explain the role of mathematics as a component of general education of students.

4. Apply the lessons learned from the history of mathematics to classroom situa-
tions.

5. Explain the contributions of mathematics to society.

6. Explain what is meant by nature of mathematics.

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1.3 What is mathematics?
This is a question which a mathematics teacher must be confronted with and which
he or she should be able to answer satisfactorily. The question is: what is mathematics?

Take your paper and pen and write down what you think the term ‘mathematics’ means.

What do you think the term ‘mathematics means?

This definition may in fact be too complex to be defined in a sentence.

Many other regular in-service students to whom this question is posed at the beginning
of the course have similarly ended up with blank papers. Now, read the following
definitions given by three students during a tutorial activity when they were asked to
respond to the question, what is mathematics?

• Student one: Mathematics is the study of laid down concepts, rules and theories
in a systematic order and their applications.

• Student Two: mathematics is the philosophy of numbers that is what happens

to them once you apply any sign to. The considered sign are +, −, ÷ and ×. in
short it is working with numbers.

• Student Three: It is the study of logic. In itself it is progressive in that the suc-
cessive steps are interrelated and dependent that tries to explain real situations.

Some of these definitions may or may not make sense to you. They are brave at-
tempts by three students confronted with a difficult question. Let us however use their
definitions to help us say something about mathematics.

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Common element in the definition of mathematics
• Mathematics deals with numbers;

• Mathematics deals with rules and theories;

• Mathematics is a logical systematic subject.

We would expect different people to use different expressions in defining mathematics.

However we would find that there are some common elements in all their definitions.
They may mention at least one or more of these points. You should appreciate the
fact that mathematics is more than mere calculations and computations. These two
processes are important of course but there are others aspects which gives mathematics
a much boarder meaning. In teaching mathematics therefore, it must be realized that
mathematics goes beyond merely making students competent in calculations.

1.4 General Aims of Teaching Mathematics

A mathematics teacher should be quite clear in his mind why he teaches this particular
subject. For example a geography teacher should have a very clear mind why he teaches
geography. The same applies to mathematics teacher. An educationist by the name R.
Mager has in his book prepared Instruction Objectives expressed the need to be clear
about the objective of doing whatever we intend to do remarking:-

These kinds of activities require application of basic computational skills. Therefore

the students we teach should acquire competence in solving such basic or everyday life
problems .The development of basic skills is therefore an important aim for teaching
mathematics.

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Developing the Ability to Think Critically

The ability to think critically refers to a persons competence to reflect, evaluate, accept
or reject an opinion on the basic of available evidence “The attitude of intelligent
caution, the restraint of commitment, the belief that difficult problems can be subjected
to critical analysis” as the psychologist and educationist P. Sears has remarked should
be an important gain by those who have been effectively taught mathematics is capable
of developing a learners ability to think critically.
Even your second teaching subject, probably physics or chemistry, can also rightly claim
to develop critical thinking in students. But as a mathematics teacher if you teach
students effectively, they should be able to think and to analyze problems critically in
schools as well as in situation outside the school.

Developing the Ability of Communicating Precisely in Symbolic Form.

Mathematics has a language of its own, which is universal and expresses complex
ideas in concise form. The language of mathematics will be understood universally
whether one is a German, a Japanese or a Kenyan while for example the expression
E = mc2 reduces highly complex ideas into an apparently simple form. This symbolic
language may be one reason why mathematics has been generally found to be a difficult
subject which has left many learners of mathematics in a state of bewilderment. This is
probably because of this bewilderment that mathematics is seen as an abstract subject.

Developing the Aesthetic Appreciation of the Environment

Try to focus your eyes on the beautiful flowers and admire their symmetry. Look at
the leaves, the rainbow and man –made features. Mathematics is hidden in them all.
The beauty of mathematics is expressed throughout our environment. A person not
properly taught mathematics will probably not appreciate this. But a person who is
well taught mathematics will appreciate the beauty of the world and the mathematics
which permeates it. A certain famous British mathematician called Paul Dirac is
reported to have remarked that “God used very advanced mathematics to construct
the universe”.

1.5 Effects of aims on the teaching of mathematics

You may ask yourself: ‘Are these elaborate statements really important to a teacher of
mathematics?’ The answer to this question is a definite ‘yes’. If you are not clear or
have a hazy idea of why you are teaching a particular subject you are unlikely to teach
it effectively. This is why the aims of teaching mathematics have to be stressed in the

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mathematics methods course.

1.6 Exercise
Does KCSE mathematics syllabus contain the general objectives of teaching mathe-
matics in Kenya? Consider how far these satisfy the aims we have just discussed.

Mathematics as a Component or General Education

Mathematics is but one of the subjects taught in the school curriculum. The contribu-
tion of other subjects towards the general education of our students must be appreciated.
But it is true that mathematics has a special role to play in process of technological
advancement of third world countries, including Kenya. Mathematics as a subject cuts
across every facet of our National life. We need mathematics in our everyday life.
Mathematics is needed in farming, carpentry, architecture, and in the literacy world.
There have been cases where people who had a dislike for mathematics, breathed a
sigh of relief for having left mathematics once and for all. They stare in surprise when
they start a course program and once again come face to face with mathematics. It is
this crucial role of mathematics which makes it especially important for mathematics
teachers to teach their subject competently. How you teach mathematics will greatly
influence the development of the nation.

1.7 Summary
We have basically tackled three major issues in this topic.

• We have attempted to answer an extremely difficult question – what is mathe-

matics?”

• We have discussed the general aims of teaching mathematics since aims have a
direct bearing on how we can teach our subjects.

• Lastly we have explained briefly, the place of mathematics in general education

for our students and the special role it plays in the development of our nation.

We accept the fact that the question ‘what is mathematics?’ is an academic question
which is interesting only from the philosophical point of view. We attempted to answer
this question for the simple reason that it is the nature of human being to ask such
questions and try to answer them. What is important though is that as mathematics
teachers, we have the responsibility of teaching our students mathematics whether
or not we are able to provide adequate answers to such philosophical question. We

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should aim at our students gaining experience in doing mathematics. Courant in his
famous work “what is mathematics” realized how extremely difficult it was to answer
the question ‘what is mathematics?. He was therefore impelled to state the following:-

In other words the answer to the question ‘what is mathematics?’ is far less important
than giving learners experience in doing mathematics. This is what counts most in the
teaching of mathematics. The nature of mathematics and the aims of teaching it are
all universal whether one is in Britain, America, Africa or China. However, both the
society to which a learner belongs and the syllabus devised for teaching mathematics
differ from one country to focus onto these issues.

Assignment

1. Briefly explain the factors that have led to accelerated development in mathe-
matics? (5 marks)

2. Using fraction as your concept, explain what you understand by concept map.
(15 marks)

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