IMPROVING PUPILS’ RECOGNITION OF WRITTEN SYMBOLS OF NUMBERS

THROUGH MUSIC

Submitted by

RAZELLE C. SANCHEZ
Sirib Elementary School
Calinan District
Davao City Division
razelle.sanchez@deped.gov.ph
09477402406

June 2023
I. Context and Rationale

During the opening of the school year 2022-2023, I initiated tests to know the literacy and
numerical skills of my students, guided by alphabet knowledge, phonological awareness, and number
and numeration checklists given by the DepEd Division of Davao City in the past school year. Then, I
discovered that one learner in my class can count all the numbers verbally but can barely identify
written symbol of numbers 13 and beyond.

A number retention drill through writing the number sequence was introduced to the learner
to address the gap during the early weeks of the school year, yet the strategy seems to not work well
with him. Number retention related activities through workbooks were also tried, unfortunately he’s
not interested in it. A part of my class’s daily routine is reciting the multiplication table memorization
drill, which is through songs and beats, the said learner can easily join the whole-class choral counting
enthusiastically. With the observed characteristics of the learner, his interest and enthusiasm in
learning through incorporating mathematics with music is maybe the best way for him to master
numbers in written symbols, with the help of the strategy Beats in Mathematics (BIM), the learner
will gain knowledge in play-learning through music.

Numeracy skills are fundamental for students to succeed in arithmetic and different
educational subjects. The ability to perform arithmetic operations is one competency grade three
learners should be able to master. It is important to identify and deal with any gaps in wide variety
identity early on to make sure the learner's future mathematical improvement. This action research
will focus on implementing targeted interventions to improve my learner’s number recognition skills
and support his overall mathematical understanding.

II. Action Research Question

The action research question for this study will be:
How can I improve the written number symbol recognition and mastery of my learner?

III. Proposed Innovations, Interventions, and Strategy

To aid the learning gap of my grade three learner, Beats in Mathematics (BIM) strategy will
be used, where a pair of drumsticks together with number media flash cards as manipulative materials
for number mastery will be utilized. The intervention is based on the learner’s interest and learning
strategy through the observed behavior shown in class. The use of tangible interactive material
contributes to deeper understanding of mathematical concepts (Pires, et al., 2019). Also, incorporating
the use of music in the process will make it a more efficient and enjoyable process for him as remedial
sessions take place. This strategy is said to be effective as kindergarten teachers use rhymes and songs
in all elements of their numeracy lesson delivery, which has a favorable impact on children's
numeracy learning (Etchere & Amoah, 2020).

The following steps will be taken for the intervention:

1. One set of numbers 1-30 in written symbols of media cards will be made in a drum-like
form.
2. Two sets of drumsticks will be purchased as one of the important manipulative materials
for the intervention.
3. Three number-songs will be downloaded from YouTube (1-10, 1-20, and 1-30 number
song).
 4. The number media cards from 1- 10 will be laid flat in sequence for the student to play-
learn. The learner will beat each number accordingly as the 1-10 number is being played.
Let the learner do the activity in rambled number media cards for a challenge.
5. Increase difficulty by doing the same with 1-20 number song, and if mastered move
forward to number song 1-30.

The whole intervention implementation will be done within 30 days during the allotted
remediation session in the class program.

Focusing on teaching to recognize the numbers using flash cards is necessary, according to
Utami and Rahmawati (2019) the visual representation of numbers is important since the gap to be
addressed is on recognition of the number written symbol with this, the usage of flash cards may
effectively draw students' attention to the lesson. Using the drumsticks, a manipulative material for
this intervention, the learner is highly engaged in the activity, which will give him a more meaningful
learning experience. Both physical and virtual manipulatives encourage learners to make their
knowledge explicit, which aids in the development of Integrated-Concrete knowledge (Sarama &
Clements, 2016). Moreover, with regards to incorporating music into the intervention, students are
more likely to grasp or recognize letters and numbers when they hear music, allowing children's
abilities and comprehension to grow more optimally according to Hermawan (2021).

IV. Action Research Methods

a. Participants and/or other Sources of Data and Information

In this action research, purposive sampling is employed. The participant of this action
research is a grade three learner in school year 2022-2023 in one of the schools in Calinan
district, with an ID number 129542. I specifically targeted my learner who exhibited this
difficulty on recognizing numbers as the focus of this study through the test conducted and
the problem sighted during the early days of the school year.

b. Data Gathering Methods

The data of the learner is collected through the teacher-made number and numeration
assessment activities based on the given checklist given by DepEd Davao City Division
during the school year 2021-2022, pre assessment is done during the first quarter of the
school year and will be the pretest result for this study; after the 30 day intervention
implementation, a post-test will be conducted with the same assessment activities and
checklist to be accomplished. The school principal’s approval will be requested. A letter of
consent to the parent or guardian of the participating student will be given indicating that the
participant's identity will be kept confidential and anonymous.

c. Data Analysis Plan

The score attained by the participant for the pre, and post assessment conducted will
be converted to its equivalent percentage against the perfect score. Ratings will be analyzed
using graphs to present the results of the given intervention.
References

E.K, O., & Amoah, K. (2020). The Impact of Rhymes and Songs in the Teaching and Learning of

Numeracy in Kindergarten. Journal of Education and Practice

Hermawan, R. (2021). DEVELOPMENT OF MUSIC-BASED LEARNING MODELS TO

INTRODUCE LETTERS AND NUMBERS OF EARLY CHILDHOOD. Cakrawala Dini:

Jurnal Pendidikan Anak Usia Dini.

Pires, A., Perilli, F., Bakala, E., Fleisher, B., Sansone, G., & Marichal, S. (2019). Building Blocks of

Mathematical Learning: Virtual and Tangible Manipulatives Lead to Different Strategies in

Number Composition. Frontiers in Education. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2019.00081.

Sarama, J., & Clements, D. (2016). Physical and Virtual Manipulatives: What Is “Concrete”?. .

https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-32718-1_4.

Utami, K., & Rahmawati, C. (2019). IMPROVING STUDENTS’ VOCABULARY MASTERY

USING FLASH CARDS. PROJECT (Professional Journal of English Education).