Article: Why Not Our Mathematics Classrooms and Text Book are Favorable to Our Context? Can We Envision Mathematics Laboratory Enhance the Students Out Come in Mathematics Subject?

Why Not Our Mathematics Classrooms and Text Book are Favorable to Our Context?

Can We Envision Mathematics Laboratory Enhance the Students Out Come in Mathematics Subject?

Dilip Kumar Acharya

Kathmandu University                

School of Education

dilipkumaracharya.camt@gmail.com

ABSTRACT

In this paper I have focused on the laboratory approach, what is the role of mathematics lab. Is it possible in our context? Laboratory approach is favorably to our students? Can we believe Mathematics laboratory enhance student’s mathematics outcomes? Mathematics subject is known as a logical subject, mathematics is manipulation of different symbols. Students can feel live experiences in mathematics lab. Can students enjoy mathematics term to solve problem easily in mathematical lab?  I also try to reflect the purpose of mathematics learning. I try to search how we can do meaningful learning in mathematics in our context. In our government school students and teacher do not have concept about materials and l practical rooms dealing with mathematics.

Keywords:  Epistemological, Historical, and Methodological aspects, Classroom environment, Mathematics Laboratory,

INTRODUCTION

Mathematicsis known as daily used subject and it is compulsory subject for secondary level. Mathematics is link with logical elements. Mathematics carries reason and logic in every aspect. But even those situations in our context, many students are being suffered with mathematics term, why many students suffered anxiety in mathematics term?  So I will try to reflect my view towards mathematics subject in our pedagogy context.

In our classroom environment /System is going to serve just trans formative knowledge without production.  In my view, our Nepalese mathematics teaching learning strategy  provides the three function .

·         Epistemological Aspect

·         Historical  Aspects

·         Methodological Aspects.

If these three types of function are integral in our mathematics, it appears beautiful, but in our context we cannot fed equally interrelated in our school level mathematics. In epistemological function, mathematics term links with theory of knowledge. Knowledge is being constructed from our society not only in our classroom, but also in outside the classroom. Knowledge is long lasting where we use the knowledge in such related field.  In Nepal, many of the schools run the Science lab but we could not find mathematics lab. In my experience , when I heard the one school giving facility on mathematics Lab  then I got amazed because  I did not hear about mathematics lab before that time , I also got curiosity  to mathematics lab. I asked question about mathematics lab, what is the lab instrument, related materials, how is the possible action in mathematics lab. Nowadays I feel mathematics lab is important where we can feel mathematics experimentally. For example, when we are going to teach profit and loss, we have to recognize the bill system in which situation profit and loss appears .In mathematics lab, where we should provide different types of bills related with profit and loss. In that situation students feel lively experience about mathematics term. So when we serve mathematics lab then students can feel mathematics in his/her context. Knowledge constructed from society and culture, are effective and long lasting.

In epistemological function search about where our mathematics classroom are going to justification of mathematics knowledge naturalistic. Is teacher only transforms the knowledge from one generation to other generation? Why don’t we feel changes in the syllabus for long period, whereas we have guided absolute and fallibility view? We have guided by both view but why should not to change the mathematics curriculum? Are teacher going to play time less exercise in mathematics knowledge? What is the role of mathematics teacher?

In historical function, when I had the little knowledge of Pythagoras formula in class eight, I did not have basic information of Pythagoras, I wasn’t familiar with his personal background, so that I did not give more interest in that formula, In the other subjects like social studies, where the books give detail information, for example, “Monarchy system in Nepal”In this chapter I have got knowledge about who the first king was? Why was it necessary? What are the causes etc? In mathematics chapter only gives information about how to calculate or prove the theorem, mathematics teacher did not share about the reasons for doing mathematics task and historical information about mathematics process. Teacher share the knowledge the causes behind the theorem, I didn’t know about the necessity of Pythagoras formula, who was Pythagoras? I did not have knowledge in that subject. When we deeply in beautiful aspect and stories then we can enjoy mathematics term. So teacher, book writer and curriculum's expert should focus on these issues. When we include Pythagoras theorem with related stories and use field with contextual with our culture then students may take subject easily and enjoy the mathematics terms. In historical function teacher provides past mathematical knowledge. In our society mathematics curriculum is the same way, but we feel curriculum should be changed.

In the Methodological function mathematics knowledge is for practice. The Nation always hopes the citizen be perfect in their Nation form the education system. Where secondary level mathematics serve to the develop personal confident in mathematics term, where the citizen success to solve daily needed mathematics calculation in their society. But in our curriculum experts are going to give openly all things not effectively. In our Mountain region, the mathematics curriculum links with calculation about yaresagumba, mathematics calculation may be contextualize in their cultural mathematics  , where they fill owns mathematics .In the methodological function , mathematics knowledge is used in the future. In the methodology function going to meet mathematics application and values, how can we use and where can we use? In that application level is only in higher level. In the secondary level when teacher gives knowledge about application area then students feel beauty in mathematics.

Mathematics terms, character, justification with special attention to the role of proof. The ontology of mathematics gives the mathematics origin and relationship with the language of mathematics. The language also makes confusion on the mathematics terms. For example, in our classroom teaching learning approach is different in the context of our society. The society gives different name in the same term such as Additional operators, giving name joda (addition in Nepali language) and yoga (addition in Nepali) in that both terms give sense of addition but the operators’ language is dependent in our classroom. So that teacher is main role for giving concept of different language. In our secondary level mathematics subject makes perfect human beings ,the main objectivism of secondary level mathematics is going to made dependent on own self in mathematics problem where our daily usual works going to meat our mathematics objective. What is the causes the mathematics anxiety for students? I think the mathematics term is not familiar in our context.  The mathematics term is remembered when we link mathematics term with our culture. When we have included related stories in mathematics then students can enjoy.

Personal motivation is important to contemporary educators who are concerned promoting inquiry over the acquisition of factual knowledge, reflecting a classic Piagetian view where true and deep understanding comes from activity at the hands of the learner (Piaget 1970). Curriculum designer should focus on the implementation of curriculum in classroom context, curriculum designer studying the interaction between guiding information and active experiences.

Mathematics laboratory is known as the places where students can learn mathematical concept, facts, theorems and activities. This practical approach ruined between teacher and students and gain knowledge of mathematics concept. The teaching and learning approach is not same in world wide. Why do not we teach western mathematics concept of mathematics in our society? Why do not we success to link mathematics term in our society. Is it using our culture mathematics in world wide? The learning style of the children is not the same in the class. So that in the world wide also different. Our rigid environment does not provide quality education. How one teacher success to handle thirty five students in forty five minutes? Is it possible? So that I bring the issues of Nepalese classroom? I feel our mathematics period is not sufficient for enough practices. In other hand we can rearrange the mathematics period.

(Laboratory room)

Mathematics knowledge is gained from different sources in different students some learned from text books, some learned form parents, teachers, blackboard, textbook ,practical approach etc. But teacher and educationist should focus on the child interest. In our Nepalese classrooms there is not enough space where thirty and forty students are bounded in small room, where students can not success to get the knowledge. In our learning system students should get the knowledge different subjects during Six hours. Where children feel a kind a jail bounded by desk, bench, textbook, black/white board and constricted room. In that situation how they get quality education?

Mathematics Laboratory is a rich environment where children can have access to handle manipulative materials. They learn the mathematics term with playing mathematics games; solve mathematics puzzles in actively. Where students manipulate mathematics objects then students make a bridge in the gap between abstract mathematics to the real world. In nowadays practical knowledge is important then theoretical knowledge. So that laboratory focuses on learning by doing approach, to create new knowledge by involvement in their physical movement, they get experience on real sense on mathematics. Mathematics’ lab is one of the fun places where students and teacher participate with variety of experiences. There are number of experimental knowledge where paper folding, cut out activities and visual system helps students to recognize different shapes in geometry figure.

CONCLUSION

Nowadays practical approach is going to be valuable. We have used book for many years we had followed only book centered still in that 21^st century we are guided by book but book is not only sufficient for students’ performances. When the students go on the multiplication in solving in mathematics laboratory then students can increase confidence power, he does not get tension from fallibility of this memory. Students get success through self exploration, their experiences, and discovery. I think mathematics laboratory is one of the best approaches which are contextualized and practical. Most of the students are not getting success in mathematics exam and they dare not openly enjoy with mathematics term so it has become the main causes of students failure in mathematics. The laboratory approach is not taken objective approach but it helps bookish learning so I think nowadays our country need to shift from traditional teaching learning approach to laboratory approach. It helps to reduces mathematics anxiety, and increase in practical mathematics approach.

:                       दिलिप  कुमार  आचार्य 

                   काठमाडौँ  बिशवबिधालय 

                       स्कुल ऑफ  एजुकेशन