Fabian C. Pontiveros, Jr.

What is contextualization?
• Developing new skills, knowledge, abilities, and attitudes
in students by presenting new subject matter in
meaningful and relevant context: context of previous
experience, real-life and workplace
• A diverse family of instructional strategies designed to
more seamlessly link the learning of foundational skills
and academic or occupational content by focusing
teaching and learning squarely on concrete applications
in a specific context that is of interest to the student.
(Mazzeo et al., 2003, pp. 3–4)
•A content-specific pedagogy that help the learners grasps
the meaning of mathematical ideas and concepts by
relating it to the context of previous experience, real-life
and workplace.
What is contextualization?

• Refers to educational process of relating the

curriculum to a particular setting, situation or area of
application to make the competencies relevant,
meaningful and useful to the learners.

• Helping the learners grasps the meaning of

mathematical ideas and concepts by relating it to
concrete or semi-concrete experience.

“when you make the abstract

(concepts) concrete. That is
contextualization”
What is contextualization?

Three Specific Context s for Mathematical Understanding

1. Situational context- refers to the interaction of the

individual with the materials, environment, sensations,
and actions involved.

2. Cultural context- refers to discursive roles, conventions,

and patterns of behaviour.

3. Conceptual context- is involved with personal

constructions of concepts of the situation
Why contextualized?

Legally

• It is mandated by RA 10533(Enhanced Basic Education

Act of 2013)

• Sec 10.2 (d) “The curriculum shall be

CONTEXTUALIZED and global;”

• Sec 10.2 (h) “The curriculum shall be flexible enough to

enable and allow schools to LOCALIZE, Indigenize, and
enhance based on their respective educational and social
context.”
WHY contextualize?
Philosophically
According to contextual learning theory, learning occurs
only when students (learners) process new information or
knowledge in such a way that it makes sense to them in their
own frames of reference (their own inner worlds of memory,
experience, and response). This approach to learning and
teaching assumes that the mind naturally seeks meaning in
context—that is, in relation to the person’s current
environment—and that it does so by searching for
relationships that make sense and appear useful.
 WHY contextualize?

Pedagogically

• It is consistent with Constructivist Learning Theory.

• It help students achieve meaningful learning

• From a cognitive perspective, contextualization is thought

to promote transfer of learning and improve the retention of
information (Boroch et al.,

• The goal of contextualization is to create conditions for

more effective learning
WHY contextualize?

• Postsecondary developmental educators have recommended

that pre-college academic skills instruction be directly related
to the content of college-level courses (Simpson, Hynd, Nist,
& Burrell, 1997)

• The goal of contextualization is to create conditions for more effective

learning

From a cognitive perspective, contextualization is thought to

promote transfer of learning and improve the retention of
information (Boroch et al.,

“Know where your students are and teach them accordingly.”

David Ausubel
 What is De-contextualization?

Decontextualize – to abstract a given situation and represent

it symbolically and manipulate the representing symbols
as if they have a life of their own , without necessarily
attending to their referents.

“when you make the concrete abstract .

That is decontextualization”
 Why decontextualize?

The ability to contextualize and the ability to

decontextualize are two complimentary abilities needed
by students in order to be proficient in solving problems
that involve quantitative relationships.

Decontextualization is required in order

1. to make inferences about relationship of quantitative
variables,
2. Modeling physical phenomena, and
3. Making predictions.
 How to Contextualize teaching?
Characteristics of Contextual Teaching
1. New concepts are presented in real-life (outside the classroom)
situations and experiences that are familiar to the student.
2. Concepts in examples and student exercises are presented in
the context of their use.
3. New concepts are presented in the context of what the student
already knows?
4. Examples and student exercises do include many real,
believable problem-solving situations that students can recognize
as being important to their current or possible future lives.
5. Examples and student exercises motivate students to say,
“I need to learn this.”
 How to Contextualize teaching?
Characteristics of Contextual Teaching (cont’d)
6. Students gather and analyze their own data as they are guided
in discovery of the important concepts.
7. Opportunities are presented for students to gather and
analyze their own data for enrichment and extension.
8. Lessons and activities encourage the student to apply concepts
and information in useful contexts, projecting the student into
imagined futures (e.g., possible careers) and unfamiliar locations
(e.g., workplaces)?
9. Students are expected to participate regularly in interactive
groups where sharing, communicating, and responding to the
important concepts and decision making occur.
10. Lessons, exercises, and labs help improve students’ reading
and other communication skills in addition to mathematical
reasoning and achievement.
Strategy for Contextualized Teaching & Learning
 How to decontextualize ?

To decontextualize is to use deductive and inductive

thinking to generate a pattern or formula that expresses
the relations of quantitative variables.

To decontextualize is to abstract a given situation and represent it

symbolically and manipulate the representing symbols as if they
have a life of their own , without necessarily attending to their
referents.

Decontextualization is what mathematicians and scientists have

been doing in trying to describe natural phenomena. Examples:
F= ma; E =mc2
 Sample Demonstration

How to contextualize signed numbers and its

operations?
 What is meant by +2, 0, and -2?
 Make story problem using positive and negative whole
numbers.
 Demonstrate how contextualization of signed
numbers help in discovering the rule for adding signed
numbers.
 Sample Demonstration

How to contextualize fractions and its operations?

 What is meant by ½ x ½ ?
 ¾x½?
 Make story problem using fractions.
 Demonstrate how contextualization of fractions help
in discovering the rule for multiplying fractions.
 Sample Demonstration

How to contextualize fractions and its operations?

 What is meant by ½ x ½ ?
 ¾x½?
 Make story problem using fractions.

 Demonstrate how contextualization of fractions help

in discovering the rule for multiplying fractions.
 Sample Demonstration

How to contextualize fractions and its operations?

 What is meant by ½ ÷ ¼ ? or ¼ ÷ ½ ?
 2/3 ÷ 1/6 ? or 1/6 ÷ 2/3 ?
 ¾÷½? or ½ ÷ ¾ ?
 Make story problem using fractions.
 Demonstrate how contextualization of fractions help
in discovering the rule for dividing fractions
Reflection:
Does contextualization promote meaningful
learning?

Does it help improve critical thinking and

problem solving skills of the students?

Does it make math learning more enjoyable to our

students?

As teacher, what would you do to achieve the twin

goals of K-12 Mathematics (i.e. critical thinking
and problem solving)?