Chalkboard once again teams up with Pasig Community Learning Hub for another Pisara Project dubbed as “Hub ang Tulay sa MATHinong Pag-aaral”. This project is a three-part series done every Sunday from May 16th to the 30th. The spread of the COVID-19 had been rampant again since early of March 2021, but it did not stop Chalkboard nor the Pasig Community Learning Hub from holding this online workshop. The first week’s topic is Mathematical Behavior: Teachers’ Role as Motivator facilitated by Ma’am Arcely V. Mateo, LPT, who is part of Chalkboard’s Tutor Success Team.
Ma’am Arcely wanted to expand the teachers’ knowledge when it comes to dealing with their students’ different behavior during Math class. Not all learners are the same, each have their unique learning habits that the teachers must determine to give them adequate solutions.
“Kasi kailangan ma-acknowledge natin kung ano ba yung ginagawa nung bata, bakit ba siya nahihirapan? And if you’re equipped with the knowledge and you saw it and you acknowledged it, mabibigyan mo ng solusyon. Magiging understandable sayo kung bakit siya nahihirapan and mapapadali mo na ngayon para sa kanya.”
– Arcely V. Mateo, LPT
Ma’am Arcely starts the discussion about Mathematics: A Better Perspective. In this part, she talks about the importance of mathematics in our daily lives, Mathematics as part of the curriculum, and the pedagogy of teachers. Pedagogy is the art of teaching – it is the method and practice of teaching, especially as an academic subject or theoretical concept. And it certainly plays a big role with giving students an improved perception about Mathematics. Once the teachers have already assessed their students’ behavior during math, they can adjust and improve their pedagogy based on it. It is such a big help not only for the students, but also for the teachers since they will now be on the same page whenever it’s discussion time. The students get to learn better because of the teachers’ enhanced teaching method.
The next topic is the Students’ Common Mathematical Behavior wherein math anxiety is very usual. Many have been having problems and predicaments whenever they are learning math, but Ma’am Arcely assures that there are also different solutions that teachers can come up with to avoid their students to have math anxiety. It all goes back to determining their mathematical behavior. But do you also know that apart from the common anxiety they experience, many students also have positive behaviors that they possess? Some have Mathematical Competence, Mathematical Confidence, and many students even see math as a booster for their critical skills! When one overcomes their math anxiety, it can build up into many great things that are beneficial to students and it can be very rewarding to see them flourish.
Before wrapping up the afternoon, Ma’am Arcely discussed the techniques and materials applicable to use to improve mathematical skills and also cited some research relative to mathematical behavior. In between her discussions, she gives the participants some fun exercises that they can solve. It really brings the fun in the group whenever they get to solve the exercises together.
Mathematics is not everyone’s favorite, but it certainly brings favorable benefits to students once they get to be more inclined and learn more about it. Online workshops like these are a great step into making more students understand math in a better outlook.
