There was much enthusiasm when the phrase "Modern School Mathematics" was coined shortly after the 1958 National Defense Education Act was passed. Many federally funded study groups came into being. Presently, criticisms in secondary teaching are just as great as it was in 1958. The innovations recommended by federally funded study groups has had…

Mathematics as a curriculum area might be taught from the point of view of several philosophies of education. This paper discusses philosophical considerations in teaching mathematics such as the philosophy of experimentalism, philosophy of decision making, and measurement driven philosophy. It is concluded that the philosophy or philosophies…

In this article, the author states that there are selected issues in mathematics instruction that educators should be well aware of when planning lessons and units of study. These issues provide a basis for thought and discussion when assisting pupils to attain more optimally. Purposeful studying of issues guides mathematics teachers in…

There are numerous issues in the teaching of mathematics that need to be clarified and meaningfully understood by teachers, supervisors, and administrators. This paper discusses some of these issues, such as the integrated versus the separate subjects curriculum, the level of application versus knowledge for its own sake, state mandated versus…

Scope and sequence in the mathematics curriculum need to be assessed regularly. Scope indicates what should be taught and becomes crucial in making curricular decisions. The first part of this paper answers how broad the scope should be in teaching mathematics. The standards to take into consideration when broadening the scope of the mathematics…

There are selected philosophies in the teaching of mathematics that can provide guidance to the teacher in developing the curriculum. This paper discusses four philosophies of teaching mathematics. (1) Idealism stresses that the pupil lives in an idea-centered mathematical world, but not an objective real world. Abstract content is prized more…

There are numerous teaching suggestions to offer in guiding pupils to greater achievement in mathematics. This paper suggests that the instructor should begin where the pupil is presently and observe what interests the pupil in learning. Different methods for teaching mathematics such as using blocks, beads, films, filmstrips or slides, a…

The mathematics teacher has the major responsibility of assisting pupils to learn in ongoing lessons and units of study. Motivating pupils to achieve optimally is a concern of conscientious teachers. This paper discusses the major educational theories emphasizing motivation and presents guidelines for teaching mathematics. (ASK)

There are selected philosophies in the teaching of mathematics which can provide guidance to the teacher in developing the curriculum and also a framework for teaching and learning. This paper discusses four such philosophies of teaching mathematics: Idealism, Realism, Experimentalism, and Existentialism. Idealism stresses that students live in an…

Mathematics is at the apex in priorities pertaining to state-mandated testing of students. With 49 out of 50 states having mandated the testing of students, all of these have mathematics in the testing format. This paper discusses the modern school mathematics movement, recent approaches in improving the teaching of mathematics, and specific…

The mathematics teacher has a major responsibility in assisting pupils to learn in ongoing lessons and units of study. This paper discusses ways of motivating students in the mathematics classroom from the perspectives of different learning theories such as behaviorism, humanism, cognitive psychology, and constructivism. Guidelines for teaching…

The lecture/explanation approach is used too frequently in mathematics teaching. Teachers and supervisors should study a number of educational philosophies and evaluate each approach in terms of its potential contributions to the teaching of mathematics. One or more philosophies might then be incorporated in lessons and units. (MCK)

There are numerous teaching suggestions to offer for guiding pupils to achieve more optimally in mathematics. There is, however, a problem involved in writing about the implementation of selected teaching suggestions: there needs to be a readiness of learning prior to implementing any teaching suggestion. If pupils cannot benefit from the teaching…

The best teaching possible needs to accrue in the mathematics curriculum. Pupils also need to become proficient in using mathematics in every day situations in life. Individuals buy goods and services. They pay for these in different ways, including cash. Here, persons need to be able to compute the total cost of items purchased and then pay for…

This paper discusses issues pertaining to at-risk students at the primary level, suggesting what can be done to keep pupils in formal schooling with an optimal achievement level. Topics discussed include: (1) probable at-risk primary pupils; (2) the domestic and societal causes of high risk in primary pupils; (3) approaches to guiding pupil…