Don calls for practical, theoretical methods in teaching mathematics

Ini Billie, Uyo

Professor of Mathematics, Prof. Amos Folayan Awodeyi has called for the application of practical and theoretical methods in teaching mathematics in secondary schools in all parts of the country to check the poor performance of students in the subject.

Prof. Awodeyi also advocated the retraining of serving teachers on teaching documents, stating that further mathematics be made compulsory for all secondary school students who aspire to study science, mathematics and engineering-related courses at the tertiary level.

Speaking during the 101 inaugural lecture at the weekend on the topic, “The Art of Mathematics Education, Development, Research and Teaching”, the Professor of Mathematics Education, Department of Science Education, University of Uyo, said the performance of students in mathematics is as low as 37.5 per cent.

He traced the low performance to the way mathematics teachers teach the subject, adding that such teachers should have the right attitude to mathematics and its teaching as mathematics and mathematics education are arts that are motivated by beauty.

“The performance of Science Education students in their core and required mathematics courses has a measure of central tendency that is as low as 37.5%. This unacceptable score is not peculiar though to University of Uyo students. It is a nationwide problem.

“A starting point towards ameliorating the poor performance in mathematics learning and teaching is a retraining of serving teachers on teaching documents. Also, Further Mathematics should be made compulsory for all secondary school students who aspire to study Science, Mathematics and Engineering at the tertiary level of education.

“Teachers should let the mathematics topics make sense to their students; teach with the knowledge of the goals of mathematics teaching in schools and focus on the objectives of teaching the topics in the classroom; tools and instructional materials should be handy; students should be engaged with relevant activities in the classroom and take home exercises should generate adequate activities for students.

“The teaching of Mathematics in the classroom requires strategies which this inaugural lecture refers to as “Method Combination Therapy”, he stated.

Awodeyi stated that until teachers get teaching mathematics right, it would impede the successful teaching and learning progress of mathematics in Akwa Ibom state and the nation at large.

He recommended mathematics laboratories in schools and workshops for practising teachers on pedagogy of mathematics which he said should cover teachers at Primary, Junior Secondary and Senior Secondary schools’ level.

He called on the Akwa Ibom State government and other states to work with the Science Education Department as well as the Institute of Education in their tertiary institutions for special training of young indigenes for the B. Sc (Ed) Mathematics Programme.

He explained that the arrangement would result in the production of at least 30 student teachers annually and for three consecutive years, which would address the dearth of competent teachers in schools in Akwa Ibom and other states.