?Mark Cedrick T. SihiyonAugust 27, 2018BEED-4APROSOLV/Ms. Acar”Numbers, Numbers, Numbers!”Mathematics is one of the foundations of education, which helps the learners obtain knowledge and enhance their physiological aspect. With this, the learners can practice their higher order thinking skills that help them in decision-making, practically living, analytically observing, and creatively address their environment.
Additionally, as these skills are being enhanced it can improve the learners’ way of living, thinking and communicate throughout their life. Moreover, mathematics is indeed an avenue for these skills to be easily and perfectly enhance in the end. For the reason that mathematics promotes critical and analytical way thinking, objective analysis of data, and logical reasoning. As this developmental process occurs, it will help a person in honing himself or herself holistically. A current article was written by, Hank Pellissier entitled “Why early math is just as important as early reading.” States, the importance of mathematics in a person, it also provides the facts that teaching math at an early age helps the children exercise their brains cells. The article first expose the fact about the U.
S. without having mathematics in their class, only 58 seconds are allotted for this essential subject and the thing is they only focusing only on counting. They let the children only memorize the number according to its order. Imagine this, are the learners can really understand the essence of math in their life by using this approach? I am still asking that questions until I found out that the way they teach the alphabet in class is the same approach they did in teaching mathematics. With that, for me, it seems frustrating and confusing especially for the math teachers. Primarily, these subjects are different from one another and maybe you can apply the same approach in teaching both of them but you cannot do the same entirely for they are a different subject. As I go deep into the article, I realize and understand the big part of mathematics in the developmental process of a human being.
According to Pellissier (2018), math skills are innate to every one of us that we only need to develop it as we grow. It is indeed a fact for me, at our early age we can identify the amount of an object through using our senses, as our eyes see the amount of an object we are seeing our brain recognizes the difference between them. In teaching mathematics at an early age has been a challenge for all of us because it requires patience, perseverance, and courage to help the children learn the essence of mathematics. According to Pellissier (2018), there are different ways of teaching math to toddlers; (1) sorting objects, (2) measurements, (3) building blocks, (4) visual arts and dance, and (5) games.
I do affirm with these ways yet there are lot more of ways and I do believe that with all of these children can identify the essence of math in their life. With all of these, we can discern the progress of the learner. The important thing is that through the help of the teachers, parents, and peers we can achieve a math-oriented country that will probably lead us to success and help us out of ignorance in making math as part of our life. Additionally, the children can now see the beauty of mathematics so that in the near future they will not be afraid of taking mathematics as their major subject. The last point of Pellissier in his article, which I liked the most, is that teaching mathematics in an effective manner. By this, teachers and parents are motivating their toddlers that they can and they can able to succeed.
As well as their peers, they are encouraging one another to be able to create a harmonious and non-competitive environment. By instilling, the value of “Self-efficacy” to each learner will help them develop self-confidence and faith that they can do anything. Learning occurs from classical conditioning; which means that any stimulus provided will lead to a particular response and operant conditioning is learning in which a voluntary behavior is strengthened or weakened by consequences or antecedents (McInerney ; McInerney, 2010). According to Teaching for Diversity (2014), Students are taught in teacher-centered lessons or with direct instruction. There is a large possibility that the students will learn the procedural content and not the concept content. Students are also extrinsically motivated in this form of teaching. With these statements, behavior really takes a big part in the development of every learner and it affects their way of learning, thinking and living.
I consider all of these, a living proof that numbers, numbers, and numbers are really exist, and we need to understand the essence of these numbers in our daily life. As well as the process of how these numbers affect our way of thinking, living, and decision-making. We must be participative in terms of helping the next generation to understand and love math in their way. Although, we may be different in presenting our solutions we will meet in presenting only one answer. That is to have a successful and perfect life and make our nation working together as one.
