Mathematics teaching in schools to serve the sciences By: Roberto “RAUD” A.U. Dangkulos 2013 October 16 Wednesday, 8:00pm Peace. Especially in the basic education curriculum in the Philippines, among the major and great problems in the unnecessary repetitions, wastes of times, resources, and efforts is the teaching of mathematics, until today. This does not exclude the possible main source of the problem, the teaching of mathematics in the colleges and universities. Mathematics to be more useful and be meaningful to majority of the students in every class is supposedly to become the basic tools in the basic science subjects. But until today, mathematics teaching seem to have maintained the tradition of being “an independent island”. Mathematics subjects and teaching have been said to integrate various science concepts; and not what is presently happening that most science teachers have to “teach again” the necessary mathematical skills for some evaluations of some particular science concepts being taught. As such, most science subject teachers could also be wasting their own time, resources, and efforts as well as that of their students of having the science subject teachers teaching themselves the basic mathematical tools for some particular science concepts. This could be so because probably with some misplaced pride, misconceptions, misunderstanding, or lack of general sincere guidance if not neglect from those running, or making some “impositions” on the entire educational system, including almost all of the authors of mathematics textbooks, of locally written or of foreign based. Mathematics textbooks and teaching are somewhat continuing the tradition of decades of teaching mathematics as some kind of “pure mathematics” as only of x, y, and z; or a, b, and c; i, j, and k; or as also somewhat as “pure and abstract”, or for some “general application skills” only; but, without some “immediate practical applications” in the basic science subjects, technology, co-operativism, entrepreneurship, etc., that are even taken almost at the same time for particular mathematics subjects; except probably, with some specialized mathematics in “investments”, “building constructions”, etc. It has been preferred that mathematics subjects be taught with at least fifty (50%) percent on practical application of the mathematics concepts, and exercises, and problems solving with the “most correct” applications and using the “metric system of units” or the S.i. system on the basic sciences most particularly in the chapter tests, periodic exams, etc. It must be noted that a law in the Philippines under a Presidential Decree had required the general use of the “metric system” or the S.i. system as early as in 1981 or thirty-two, 32, years ago. But, it can be observed that many are still using the “english system of measurements” even in the teaching of mathematics until today, if ever there are some practical problems solving included. One could easily check on the following even in so-called leading schools in every city; through some separate practical tests. Majority of our high schools students even the senior ones could not (1) describe properly with their arms or hands as to how big or small is one millimeter; (2) after drawing a line freely with hand only on a paper without any straight edge, could not immediately write down the “correct” reading of the length using the “ORION-Type” metric ruler; (3) describe correctly (and with correct units) in written explanation, answer and of choice and identify from seven, 7, choices of drawings (copying the most correct drawing and description) as to how much is the answer to the question “one whole cake divided by one-half is equal to what?”; (4) could not truly understand a common and basic definition of density supposedly understood since grade four science (and mathematics) from a set of nine, 9, pieces of the same wood of uniform rectangular form but of different lengths with the question as to “which has the greatest density?” (though the question could be appearing misleading or wrong) and each student in writing to explain briefly his/her answer and choice; etc. X X X TRG & W – Tnx, Regards, and God bless you all; and Wassalam (Peace be with you). X X X Mathematics teaching in schools to serve the sciences By: Roberto “RAUD” A.U. Dangkulos 2013 October 16 Wednesday, 8:00pm * * * Font type: Script12 BT (from Correl 8 and internet), font size: 12; and for title, size 20 Roberto “RAUD” A.U. Dangkulos P.O. Box No.: 5470 9200 iLigan City, Lanao Norte Philippines, Tel: (063)302-0917, gLobe Land Line Facebook: Roberto “RAUD” A.U. Dangkulos Email ads: raud.50@gmail [email protected] raud_50@yahoo Celfons: 063-835-0911, pLdt Land Line pLus, also accepting cp txt msgs 0922-217-0314, RAUD 1st sun 0915-755-8850, RAUD 1st globe 0919-590-7304, RAUD 1st smart X X X
Posted on: Wed, 16 Oct 2013 12:43:27 +0000
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