It is necessary that a teacher has a good understanding not only on mathematical objectives but also of the ways in which children learn mathematics.

            Here are some strategies and techniques which the teachers may use or employ to make Mathematics more realistic, enjoyable and interesting.

1. Involvement- This is a technique which involves physical, written and oral activities on the part of every member of the class as concepts are developed. Involvement can be used during the introductory, mastery or developmental phases of instruction. The developmental activities can become tedious and distasteful for children unless the teacher uses a great amount of ingenuity.
2. Discovery– is a strategy which requires that the child studies structured or unstructured situations and thus uncovers some concepts or generalizations that are new to him. This is a high- interest strategy due to the mastery of development and the child retains a concept longer than when taught by another method. However, it requires the great expertise of the teacher to arrive at desired results.
3. Analogy– is a teaching technique in which a story is made up to illustrate the “how” of a concept. This technique often sacrifices mathematical precision in order to simplify the concept. Analogies are helpful in the introductory and mastery phases of instruction and rarely during the developmental phase.
4. Analysis– is a strategy which breaks a concept down into a step- by- step explanation of it. This strategy usually emphasizes the “why” of a concept and provides a depth of understanding not normally associated with the other methods of teaching. Analysis is very useful in introducing concepts. It is the most abstract way of presenting concepts to children but it sometimes it represents the most efficient and logical choice for developing concepts.
5. Modified Experimental Method– is a strategy in which a question is presented, the children speculate on the answer, data of information are obtained, and the speculations are either verified or modified. Teaching by modified experiments involves 3 steps which are: (1) a question is posted; (2) the pupils all speculate the answer; and (3) data are gathered and the question is resolved. This strategy is more time consuming than other strategies. Extensive resources are needed to gather the data and not every concept lends itself to this strategy.
6. Direct Presentations- are strategies that use lectures or audio visual displays to rapidly disseminate information.
7. Discussion and Inquiry– are techniques that promote the interaction of pupils and permit them to provide input into the learning process.
8. Visual and / Audio Presentations– are strategies that involve teacher- made or teacher- modified commercial devices. They are controlled to a limited extent by the nature of the devices being employed.  Audio and visual devices in this category permit teacher input and control. The audio and visual materials can sustain the pupils’ interest to a greater extent.
9. Teaching by Rules– is a practice of giving a statement which, if followed, will result in the child accomplishing a task. The rule may be as simple as instructing a child to do a thing. Generally, it is not considered good teaching technique to introduce a concept with a rule. Rules, however, are saved as a summarizing procedure after the “why” and “how” have been developed by other methods. A rule is used to bring to focus the ideas being developed.
10. Teaching by Definitions–  is a process of presenting a statement to a child which he then uses to discriminate between those ideas that fit the statement and those that do not. This strategy requires a high language competency on the part of the child. It is usually used in the introductory and mastery phases.
11. Teaching by Translation– is a process of developing a new concept by paralleling old concepts which are structurally similar to new concepts. This is similar to looking up English meanings to words in a dictionary. Here’s an example in Math: 3/10 + 4/10 = N: children use the decimal information to solve it thus:  0.3 + 0.4 = N  .
12. Teaching by Examples– is one of the most versatile of all teaching strategies. It is used in all phases of instruction. Short amount of time is needed for presentation of concepts. Examples are used mostly in “how” situations. This is an excellent strategy for one-to-one remediation situation where the teacher goes around the room to check on the progress that children are making with practice exercises.
13. Teaching by Using Models– is the use of pictures of objects that represent some aspects of a concept being developed. It is widely used to reduce the level of a concept’s abstraction. Models reduce the complexity of concepts. They are used extensively when introducing numbers, operations, problem solving, geometry and measurement concepts. However, care must be exercised in the choice of a model, so that an attribute of the model not related to the concept being developed does not the child to developing misconceptions about the concept. For example, repeated used of 3 red balls in teaching a very young child the concept of threeness may result in the child mistaking the concept of 3 with red things.
14. Teaching by Games and Simulations– A game is a procedure that employs both skills and chance and usually has a winner o winners. A simulation is a modified reconstruction of a situation or event or series of events which happen in society. Both methods of teaching promote high- interest- learning- levels. Games and simulations often require prerequisites skills on the part of the participant/s and therefore used more often in the later part phases of instruction. However, there are those that can be used in the introductory stage of instruction because they develop the skills as the activity proceeds. There are also those that can well motivate a lesson. This strategy may be time- consuming but can result in greater depth of understanding of a concept or better mastery of a skill because it is realistic and true to life. It is a high- noise level activity but very enjoyable to pupils.

By: Mrs. Yolanda V. Evangelista | Teacher I | Pinagsumilan ES | Bagac, Bataan