Teachers asked to motivate students to learn Mathematics
The Principal of the Bagabaga College of Education in Tamale in the Northern Region, Alhaji Adam Zakaria, has asked Mathematics teachers to motivate their students to learn the subject.
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He has also attributed the lack of desire on the part of students to learn the subject to the inability of the teachers to motivate them.
He said many teachers of Mathematics had failed to identify the problems associated with the teaching of the subject and stated, “For me, I see the problem with Mathematics to be with the teachers and not the students.”
He added that many teachers of mathematics always shifted the blame of failure on their students, rather than admitting their role in causing the failure.
“Don’t always try to shift the problems to the students. If we can shift the problems to ourselves, then we will be solving the problem,” Alhaji Zakaria said.
Alhaji Zakaria made these comments at the opening session of a two-day residential Mathematics workshop for the members of the Northern Regional branch of the Mathematics Association of Ghana (MAG) in Tamale in the Northern Region.
It was held on the theme: “Mathematics and its application in our everyday life.”
Categories of teachers
Alhaji Zakaria, who is also a mathematician, said there were three categories of teachers of mathematics and added that “we have those who know the subject but do not have patience to impact it, those who don’t know the subject and are eager to impact wrong information, and those who know it and are patient enough to impact it.”
He also expressed worry that many teachers of mathematics in the country fell within the first two categories, thus making the subject to appear uninteresting to students.
A section of the mathematics teachers at the workshop listening to Alhaji Adam Zakaria
According to him, many mathematics teachers did not take their time to explain concepts to their students in a way that would enable them to appreciate the practicality of Mathematics in their everyday life.
The Northern Regional President of MAG, Mr Amidu Sualiu Jabakatie, said the purpose of the workshop was to find out the challenges that hindered the effective teaching and learning of Mathematics in the schools in the region.
Mr Jabakatie said the workshop would enable the teachers to also sharpen their skills and knowledge on the teaching of some selected topics believed to be difficult when teaching.
He expressed worry that over the years many students at the various levels of education, particularly junior and senior high schools, continued to fail massively in mathematics examinations.
A Lecturer from the Department of Statistics of the University for Development Studies (UDS), Dr Abubakari Alhassan, who spoke on the theme, urged mathematics teachers to make the subject more interesting for students.
He said teachers of mathematics often presented the subject in an abstract manner, which made it difficult for students to realise the practicality of the subject in their everyday life.