The Importance Of Teaching Mathematics In Education

In the words of William Paul Thurston, “ Mathematics is not about numbers, equations, computations or algorithms: it is about understanding.” Mathematics is one of the most important subjects that a child will have to learn, as it plays one of the biggest roles in their lives and education, as no matter what field of work they decide to enter, some form of mathematics is involved.

According to the Merriam Webster Online Dictionary, mathematics is defined as, “the science of numbers and their operations, interrelations, combinations, generalizations, and abstractions and of space configurations and their structure, measurement, transformations, and generalizations.” Mathematics is like the oxygen our body needs to survive. It is a part of everything

An effective teacher of mathematics should have more than factual knowledge of the content, conceptual understanding of content, sound knowledge of the language associated with the concepts to be taught, a good understanding of the relationship between concepts within a strand and across strands, a good understanding of the areas that are most likely to pose problems for students, knowledge of a variety of strategies that are likely to help students who are experiencing challenges with particular topics and the knowledge and understanding of a variety of activities. The ability to teach mathematics to primary school students lies in the pillars of the above listed qualities of an effective teacher of mathematics. The workshop explored all the strands of mathematics and reminded us of and brought new and effective ways of reaching and teaching students in the different areas. This paper will seek to highlight the strand measurement, and briefly discuss its contribution to primary school students’ mathematical knowledge and skills and also indicate content that should be emphasized at the primary level and give reason or reasons why this should be

However, as simple as it may seem it is a very difficult concept for young children to understand. Having the ability to do estimation means we focus on the "about" of quantities. Using words like “closer to”, “more than” or “less than”, and “about” in daily activities helps to build foundations for what is a reasonable range of answers. Research by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (2000) shows that teachers need to help student to: understand that objects have measurable properties, understand expressions referring to properties (i.e. "How long?" and "How heavy?"), understand and use terms of comparison (longer, heavier, shorter, wider) , use appropriate units and processes for measurement ,use standard units of measurement and to create and use formulas to help count