Teaching aids is anything that is applied in
instruction of improved comprehension. It facilitates, motivates and assures successful
teaching and learning. It stimulate, captivate students interest, secure
students attention in the classroom as well as bringing about proper
understanding of the subject or topic taught.
Many of our secondary school lacks instructional
materials which are supposed to make mathematics class more of practical class
rather than theoretical and abstract display of some mathematics laws.
Ozigi (1998) stated that teaching aids do the
following to both teachers and students:
1.
It serves to make
teaching and learning easier and more effective.
2.
They stimulate the
interest of the learners, gives tactful information and facilitate
understanding.
3.
They create
variety in the teaching attention of the lesson etc, but when these materials
are not available, the reverse is the case.
Sekerci and et al (2008) establish that most students
in faculties of science use information and communication technologies for
learning purposes, but they also think that the use of these aids by their
lecturers in the class is insufficient. The results also show that the students
have a positive attitude towards the use of technology in the classroom, and
that they especially welcome the use of the technology through which they can
become more active during the lessons and have easy access to resources.
The report of National Curriculum Conference of (1989)
recommended that (34) states that are in adulation to the need for better
trained teachers for the country school. The government of any country should
try their best to provide facilities for teaching of mathematics in which Derek
(1990) says that students learn better when they see and handled that
instructional materials for teaching the student, examples include cube,
rectangles, triangles, polygons e.t.c.
Absence of instructional materials makes mathematics
instructions difficult and boring to learners and effecting of the curriculum
in accordance with the aims and objectives of the National Policy on Education
is not easy and they end up in some cases not understanding its contents.
2.4. Mathematics Education and Utilizing Materials
Usage of symbols, shapes, mental images, concrete
models and such kind of demonstrations in expression of concepts in mathematics
is highly significant in terms of learning process. In teaching, utilizing just
one or two of these types of demonstrations and ignoring the others will not
support the process of children’s having the concept of mathematics
sufficiently. Providing diversity in types of demonstration and utilizing
concrete models, notably in teaching towards children, will facilitate the
meaningful instruction of mathematics on a large scale.
In this respect, it is thought that material supported
mathematics education, will be able to concretize most of mathematics concept
for students and help them to comprehend these concepts more easily. The importance
of material supported mathematics education is realized better when the studies
in this area are examined: the study carried out by Ozturel (1987) and Sezer
(1989) has put forward that computer supported mathematics teaching makes a
significant difference on student’s success in mathematics.
The study conducted by as Furoglu (1990) on students
at primary school has indicated that material supported geometry teaching has a
positive effect upon developing concepts of triangle, circle and square in students
and increases their success.
The study conducted by Dander (1997) has shown that
education with supplementary materials in fourth year at primary schools has
significantly enhanced the comprehension of mathematics.
The study carried out by Toluk, Olkum and Durmus
(2002) has analyzed the effects of problem oriented and visual model supported
geometry teaching upon the geometrically thinking levels of pre-service class
teachers and has shown that there has been a significant development in the
geometrically thinking levels of students.
These results have shown that if the attention of
students who have implemented the activities concerning the classification of
quadrangles and triangles which are suitable for first and second levels, is
not drawn to the relations between shapes and characteristics, students cannot
establish these connections themselves, besides, it has been helpful for
students to establish such relations in forming their own definitions. It has
been observed that dynamic models such as master ruler have been effective in
student’s creating those definitions. It has been provided that success in
mathematics has been high when materials are utilized.
The importance of material supported education in mathematics
has increased the need for well equipped and well informed teachers in this
area. Arousing interest among students, teaching in accordance with their
interest and wishes, showing them how to gain information and enabling them to
transfer the gained knowledge to the areas necessary for them and to share
them, should be the objectives of educational system.
Teachers in the system of education are thought to be
the most important factors to realize those goals. Besides having enough
knowledge and skills in this area, the teachers who will realized the material
supported education using educational technologies, should also believe in the
benefits of utilizing material in lessons and should be interested, willing
towards this area and develop a positive attitude towards it. Within this
context, the aim of this study is to determine the effect of teaching aids in
the teaching of mathematics. It is believed that this will be able to give as
an idea about prospective teacher’s integrating their future lessons with
instructional materials and technology.
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