Teaching Mathematics and Filippino Student Performance

Education is viewed as highly important in almost all countries. However, the educational systems, subjects of focus, and teaching styles in each country vary greatly. One subject that has been highlighted in various countries is mathematics. The Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) consisted of a video study (1999) and the TIMSS test (2003). The purpose of this study was to compare the way mathematics was completed and the achievement levels in several countries. The study showed distinct differences in the way mathematics was taught in classrooms in the United States vs. Japan. These differences could be seen in the teacher’s beliefs about mathematics, types of questions asked, and the complexity of problems given to student’s.

It is crucial to develop in children the ability to tackle problems with initiative and confidence…mathematics has changed from careful rehearsal of standard procedures to a focus on mathematical thinking and communication to prepare them for the world of tomorrow (Anghileri, 2006, p.2).

Australian students, in particular those in lower secondary schools, have been found to be disengaged from mathematics learning, leading to a reduction in the number of mathematics students in senior secondary schools and universities (Mack & Walsh, 2013, as cited in Buckley, 2013, p.2; National Curriculum Board [NCB], 2009, p.9; Australian National Numeracy Review Report, 2008, as cited in NCB, 2009, p.10). Such disengagement, together with unsatisfactory achievement and anxiety about the subject, could to a certain extent be attributed to an ineffective teaching environment and teacher instruction (Buckley, 2013, p.1; Yang, 2013, p.274). The writer of this paper will discuss six observable characteristics in a productive

Nowadays, researches have showed that Asian students are better at mathematics, while most non-Asian students are better at research mathematics. Although Asian people tend to perform well in math contests, they tend to be inferior in the area of research mathematics comparing with their international counterparts. This report will analyze it on many aspects and pay attention to its significance. Besides, this report will also make suggestions, in order to improve the performance in the field of mathematics for Asian students and make more contribution to the development of our countries’ science.

All citizens go through the kindergarten, all the way to their senior year. Hall, Hutchison and White (2015) report that teachers having less experience in the classroom have less acquaintance with the standards than those with more. Thus, there is the need for initiating pre-service teacher education programs in aide of the common core state standard in order to put more emphasis on the standard and generally in learning. At every level, the American education system allows students to be assessed using different evaluations on Science, Mathematics and English Language arts (Barnett and Fay, 2013). Nevertheless, a number of schools in the United States of America have upgraded their state standards and embraced the Common Core State Standard in the recent past. This development has given the entire world a platform for standardizing tests for various subjects such as reading skills, writing, and

Upon observing your class, we have learned a lot about the methods you utilize in order to help the students with mathematics and about how the students learn. Observing your class was both an honor and a learning opportunity for us, as you are an important, and well-respected faculty member in the school system. However, while we appreciate your goals and tactics to make learning mathematics easier for the students, we have discovered some flaws in the use of mnemonics, rules, and tricks for helping students understand the subject material.

Another idea to improve mathematics performance in elementary level is to encourage the student to link the existing knowledge and the new knowledge effectively while working math problems/examples. A worked example is “a step-by-step demonstration of how to perform a problem” (Clark, Nguyen, & Sweller, 2006, p. 190). This will prepare the students for similar problems in the future as they bridge the connection between the problems and the examples. In many cases, students are encouraged to link the informal ideas with the formal mathematics ideas that are presented by the teacher to be able to solve problems. When students examine their own ideas, they are encouraged to build functional understanding through interaction in the classroom. When students share among themselves on differences and similarities in arithmetic procedures, they construct the relationship between themselves hence making it the foundation for achieving better grades in mathematics. Teachers can also encourage students to learn concepts and skills by solving problems (Mitchell et al 2000). Students do perform successfully after they acquire good conceptual understanding because they develop skills and procedures, which are necessary for their better performance. However, slow learning students should engage in more practice

The Case of Randy Harris describes the lesson of a middle school mathematics teacher, and how he uses diagrams, questions, and other methods to guide his students to a better understanding. Throughout his case study, Harris’ methods could be easily compared to that of the Effective Mathematics Teaching Practices. There are eight mathematical teaching practices that support student learning, most of which are performed throughout Randy Harris’ lesson. Harris didn’t perform each teaching practice perfectly, despite doing the majority of them throughout his lessons. The following are examples of how Randy Harris implemented the eight mathematical teaching practices into his lesson, and how the ones that were neglected should have been

The researcher’s main concern was to investigate differences in math perception between those students scoring highly versus those students scoring poorly on national exams. The researcher thought that the solution would be due to cross-cultural differences in achievement.

A Year in the Life of an Elementary School: One School's Experiences in Meeting New Mathematics Standards

Oftentimes, students see math class as a task to be completed to graduate from the 8th grade and move on to high-school, rather than an opportunity to build problem solving and quantitative reasoning skills useful in everyday life. This is true of my students. Many of my students believe that algebra and geometry will not be useful skills in their professional careers. This means that I have not framed my course well enough for students to grasp its importance. The result of this view is low academic engagement in class, where students may comply and feign on-task behavior; however, students are not truly grappling with the material in order to understand it. Consequently, on the first quiz of the year, the average score was a 50%. Due to my students’ underdeveloped view of math, they neither monitor nor evaluate their own academic growth and learning. Instead, they simply rely on me, their teacher, to provide them with an agenda, tasks to keep them busy, and then a final grade. Additionally, as a whole, my students struggle to create, track, and revise goals in order to achieve measures they set. I must provide more coaching and support for students to set their own goals and monitor their progress towards achieving them. Lastly, my students have trouble creating and later seeking answers to their own mathematical questions, which leaves them disengaged from the mental exercise of investigating real-world problems applicable to their everyday lives. I must provide more

In today’s society mathematics is a vital part of day-to-day life. No matter what a person is doing at home or at the workplace, he/she is constantly using different mathematics skills to simply function. Then what does this mean for mathematics education? When someone needs to utilize a skill every day then he/she needs a strong background in the skill. Therefore, today’s students need more than a just a working knowledge of mathematics or enough knowledge to pass a test. Today’s students need to understand how mathematics works and how to utilize mathematics skills in the best way possible.

Maths is ubiquitous in our lives, but depending on the learning received as a child it could inspire or frighten. If a child has a negative experience in mathematics, that experience has the ability to affect his/her attitude toward mathematics as an adult. Solso (2009) explains that math has the ability to confuse, frighten, and frustrate learners of all ages; Math also has the ability to inspire, encourage and achieve. Almost all daily activities include some form of mathematical procedure, whether people are aware of it or not. Possessing a solid learning foundation for math is vital to ensure a lifelong understanding of math. This essay will discuss why it is crucial to develop in children the ability to tackle problems with initiative and confidence (Anghileri, 2006, p. 2) and why mathematics has changed from careful rehearsal of standard procedures to a focus on mathematical thinking and communication to prepare them for the world of tomorrow (Anghileri).

Mathematics, like every creation of man, have evolved without really knowing how far you can get with them: the scope of the computer, physics, chemistry, algebra, all are evidence of this. Every aspect of our culture is based in some way or another in Mathematics: language, music, dance, art, sculpture, architecture, biology, daily life. All these areas of measurements and calculations are accurate. Even in nature, everything follows a precise pattern and a precise order: a flower, a shell, a butterfly, day and night, the seasons. All this makes mathematics essential for human life and they can not be limited only to a matter within the school curriculum; here lies the importance of teaching math in a pleasure, enjoyable and understandable way. Mathematics is an aid to the development of the child and should be seen as an aid to life and not as an obstacle in their lifes.

Mathematics is a type of reasoning. Thinking mathematically includes thinking in a rational way, developing and checking conjectures, understanding things, and forming and validating judgments, reasoning, and conclusions. We show mathematical habits when we acknowledge and explain patterns, build physical and theoretical models of sensations, develop sign systems to assist us stand for, control, and review concepts, and create treatments to address issues (Battista, 1999).