Why are students performing poorly
in Mathematics?
It has remained a mind-boggling question, but it cries for answers if Tanzania is to join the ranks of developed countries: Why are students performing poorly in Mathematics.
At a recent Mathematics seminar, participants mentioned the major causes as students, teachers and the community including parents while others attributed the problem to lazy pupils.
One participant said: “When such pupils are assigned home work, they take it to their tuition teacher who works it out to impress the pupils and the pupils copy. When they present the work to their classroom teacher, it is marked as correct without realizing it is not their own answers. The marked work is passed to the parent, on demand, who hails the pupil for good progress.”
These remarks were made at a seminar for Mathematics teachers organized by the Mathematical Association of Tanzania (MAT/CHAHITA) Dar es Salaam/Coast zone from August 4 to 6 and held at the Evangelical Lutheran Church Tanzania (ELCT) Junior Seminary in Kisarawe, Coast Region.
This was the second such seminar to be held in the zone as the first was held earlier in the year at Saint Anthony High School in Mbagala, Dar es Salaam.
About 30 mathematics teachers attended the seminar whose topics included Competence-based teaching; Poor performance in mathematics and Making Teaching Aids for three-dimensional geometry.
The presenter for the topic on competence-based teaching used a brainstorming technique to establish the need for using the approach. He led the participants to recognize that a competence comprises three components which are knowledge, skills and attitude (ska).
He used the competence of driving to show how to analyze a competence to establish its competence. He then cited the example of finding the tangent of an angle. The analysis was as follows:
Knowledge: Definition of tangent; Degree measure; right–angled triangle; new vocabulary (opposite and adjacent sides), Skill: Reading Trigonometric tables and
Attitude: Accuracy; application in measuring ‘difficult’ lengths such as height of trees.
Some participants experienced difficulties in distinguishing between objectives and competences. The presenter reminded them that a competence was complete only when it acquired the three components namely, knowledge, skills and attitude.
“A competence can be achieved by one objective or more objectives. In fact an objective can by itself form a competence,” he stressed.
“A competence can be achieved by one objective or more objectives. In fact an objective can by itself form a competence,” he stressed.
Another participant supported by reading directly from the Basic Mathematics Syllabus: “For each competence expected to be achieved, one or more objectives have been stated.”
Almost all the participants were not happy with how teachers are treated despite their devotion in the noble profession. The lack of motivation makes teachers deliver their lessons poorly especially for unpopular subjects such as Mathematics.
“I was passing by a class where a Geography teacher was boasting of owning a car because he took arts subject as opposed to his counterparts in the science wing who were yet to buy cars I felt very bad,” complained one participant. “Encouragement and teacher modification are required urgently if we want the trend to improve, “concluded the facilitator.
With regard to three dimensional teaching aids, the participants were amazed how the teaching is simplified when they are used. “I did not think that it could be made so simple. I have been labouring on sketching angles between planes without success. Now my pupils will be able to visualize it and enjoy the subject,” she said happily.
MAT/CHAHITA was formed in 1966 and has been operating according to its constitution.
The association is scheduled to hold its annual national seminar at the Solomon Mahlangu campus of the Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA) from September 13 to 18, this year to run concurrently with the association’s 45thAnnual General Meeting.
This year’s seminar is expected to bring together mathematics teachers, students and other education stakeholders from all levels of education within Tanzania.
The seminar will offer short lectures followed by discussions and group work on some mathematics topics from Primary and Secondary Ordinary and Advanced level syllabi which have been identified by teachers to be challenging in leaning and teaching.
There will also be exhibitions and demonstrations on the use of mathematics teaching aids. A lecture on the killer disease HIV/AIDS especially how to handle the affected, will also be given. Some MAT/CHAHITA publications will also be available.
There will also be an opportunity to share ideas on teaching and assessing pupils in respect to competence-based approach.
The writer is a retired Mathematics professor
The Guardian (Tanzania)
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