Problems Faced by Mthematics Teachers

Introduction:
The importance of education is best driven by the Chinese proverb that says:
"If you want to think one year ahead, plant rice
If you want to think 10 years ahead, plant trees
But if you want to think 100 years ahead, give education to people."
Education plays an important role for every individual. India is the world’s second large densely populated country. We have a huge manpower. If we make use of this manpower for betterment of the society, India will definitely shine with bright colours. All agree that the most important key to development and to poverty alleviation is education. Education is the only hope for our country to change its current status of a “developing country into developed country”
“Mahatma Gandhi described education as basic tool for the development of consciousness and reconstruction of the society. He said that education is one of the most important factors in achieving the developmental goals of the country.”
Education has no higher purpose than preparing people to lead personally fulfilling and responsible lives. For its part, science education—meaning education in science, mathematics, and technology—should help students to develop the understandings and habits of mind they need to become compassionate human beings able to think for themselves and to face life head on.
Mathematics has been an inseparable part of school education since the beginning of formal education and it has played a predominant role not only in the advancement of civilization but also in the development of physical science and other disciplines. Mathematics has always occupied an important place in school curriculum. The education commission (1964-1966) recommended mathematics as compulsory subject for students at school level. Today, mathematics encompasses much more than basic arithmetic. In addition to basic numeric, mathematics includes measurement and geometry, functions and algebra, data analysis and probability.
“Our citizens especially democracy must possess competency in making wise decisions, they must be able to participate in an evaluate decision; they must understand the origins to existing knowledge and expansion of knowledge. If such are the goals of education, mathematics must be basic part of the curriculum on every level.” -Newsom (1951)
“Mathematics should be visualized as a vehicle to train the pupil to think, reason, analyze and articulate logically.” -NPE (1986)
Mathematics teaching:
Simply put, math is about solving problems.

Epistemologically mathematics means mathema—explaining & understanding, tics—techniques such as counting, ordering, sorting, measuring

Ever since there were humans in existence, there have been problems to solve. Whether the problems were over basic requirements like sustaining sufficient amounts of food or major accomplishments like constructing multifunctional homes, problems such as these remain with us to this day. The peculiar thing about problems is that they all have similar properties.

Everybody uses math whether they realize it or not. Shoppers use math to calculate change, tax, and sales prices. Cooks use math to modify the amount a recipe will make. Vacationers use math to find time of arrivals and departures to plan their trips. Even homeowners use math to determine the cost of materials when doing projects.

The professions using mathematics are accountants, agriculturists, architects, Biologists, Chemists, Engineers (Chemical, Civil, Electrical, Industrial, Material), Geologists, Lawyers, Managers, Medical Doctors, Meteorologist, Military Personnel, Nurses, Politicians, Technicians, Tradesmen.

 Mathematics relies on both logic and creativity, and it is pursued both for a variety of practical purposes and for its intrinsic interest.
 Mathematics is the science of patterns and relationships. As a theoretical discipline, mathematics explores the possible relationships among abstractions without concern for whether those abstractions have counterparts in the real world.
 Mathematics is also an applied science. Many mathematicians focus their attention on solving problems that originate in the world of experience. They too search for patterns and relationships, and in the process they use techniques that are similar to those used in doing purely theoretical mathematics.
 Mathematics is abstract in nature for the student to understand it
 Mathematics is much more than art of computation
 Mathematics is science of logical reasoning
 Mathematics hierarchical in nature

Mathematics’ teacher:

Teacher is a person whose occupation is teaching -web definition

The information provider
A traditional responsibility of the teacher is to pass on to students the information, knowledge and understanding in a topic appropriate at the stage of their studies. This leads to the traditional role of the teacher as one of provider of information in the lecture context.
The practical teacher: The clinical setting, whether in the hospital or in the community, is a powerful context for the transmission, by the clinical teacher, of information directly relevant to the practice of medicine.
The role model
The on-the-job role model: The importance of the teacher as a role model is well documented. Students learn not just from what their teachers say but from what they do in their classroom.
The role model as a teacher: Teachers serve as role not only when they fulfill their role as teachers in the classroom, but also when they are involve in the small discussion or tutorial group. The teacher has a unique opportunity to share some of the magic of the subject with the students.
The facilitator
The learning facilitator: The move to a more student-centered view of learning has required a fundamental shift in the role of the teacher. No longer is the teacher seen predominantly as a dispenser of information or walking tape recorder, but rather as a facilitator or manager of the students' learning. The introduction of problem-based learning with a consequent fundamental change in the student-teacher relationship has highlighted this change in the role of the teacher from one of information provider to one of facilitator.
The mentor: The role of mentor is a further role for the teacher. The mentor is usually not the member of staff who is responsible for the teaching or assessment of the student and is therefore off-line in terms of relationship with the student. Mentorship is less about reviewing the students' performance in a subject or an examination and more about a wider view of issues relating to the student.
The assessor
The student assessor: The assessment of the student's competence is one of the most important tasks facing the teacher. Most teachers have something to contribute to the assessment process. Examining does represent a distinct and potentially separate role for the teacher. Thus it is possible for someone to be an expert teacher but not an expert examiner. All institutions now need on their staff some teachers with a special knowledge and understanding of assessment issues.
The curriculum assessor: The teacher has a responsibility not only to plan and implement educational programmes and to assess the students' learning, but also to assess the course and curriculum delivered. Monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of the teaching of courses and curricula is now recognized as an integral part of the educational process. Evaluation can also be interpreted as an integral part of the professional role of teachers, recognizing teachers' own responsibility for monitoring their own performance.
The planner
The curriculum planner: Curriculum planning is an important role for the teacher. Most schools and postgraduate bodies have education committees charged with the responsibility for planning and implementing the curriculum within their institution. Teachers employed by the school and members of the postgraduate institution may be expected to make a contribution to curriculum planning. Curriculum planning presents a significant challenge for the teacher and both time and expertise is required if the job is to be undertaken properly.
The course planner: The best curriculum in the world will be ineffective if the courses which it comprises have little or no relationship to the curriculum that is in place. Once the principles which underpin the curriculum of the institution have been agreed, detailed planning is then required at the level of the individual course or phase of the curriculum.

The resource developer
The resource material creator: An increased need for learning resource materials is implicit in many of the developments in education. The new technologies have greatly expanded the formats of learning materials to which the student may have access and make it much easier for the student to take more responsibility for their own education. The role of the teacher as resource creator offers exciting possibilities. At least some teachers possess the array of skills necessary to select, adapt or produce materials for use within the institution.
The study guide producer: The production of study guides is a further role for the teacher. Study guides suitably prepared in electronic or print form can be seen as the students' personal tutor available 24 hours a day and designed to assist the students with their learning. Study guides tell the student what they should learn - the expected learning outcomes for the course, how they might acquire the competences necessary - the learning opportunities available, and whether they have learned it - the students assessing their own competence.

Reviews of related literature:

Review of the literature provides us an idea of what all studies have been done, which specific areas are covered and what is left undone. One source will lead to another. The earlier studies, if any, which are similar to the study in hand, should be carefully studied.

Investigator has gone through some of the reviews either they are documents or research results, in subject of mathematics or other subject.

“There is a tension between what policy makers do and who they listen to (teachers).” - Eshiwani (2001) International Panel on Policy and Practice in Mathematics Education

“...academics help classroom teacher very little.” - Agarkar (2001) International Panel on Policy and Practice in Mathematics Education

“Teachers need to talk with parents, but they may have problems also. Teachers need other professionals and to talk about the problems inside the school. They have to talk with everybody to get a solution.” - Francisco (2001) International Panel on Policy and Practice in Mathematics Education

“Most mathematicians don't care about math education and research in math education.” - Bodin (2001) International Panel on Policy and Practice in Mathematics Education

“status and quality of teacher education of our country especially at elementary level is far from satisfactory.” - Ncert (1991:1)

Ms. Geetika (2004) made study on “problems faced by Hindi teachers of English medium secondary schools of Baroda city”
Mr. Trivedi (2004) studied errors committed in Algebra by the students of class VIII of Vadodara city. The sampling was done using cluster sampling. All Secondary schools of Vadodara city were listed and one school was selected randomly. All the 172 students of class VIII were considered in the sample. The tool used was a questionnaire prepared by the subject teacher in selected school. It includes four examples based on expansion and simplification, three examples based on simplification using laws of indices and seven examples based on factorization.
Mr. Shah (1994) studied mathematics weakness of standard eight students of Vadodara city with respect to their medium of instruction, sex and tuition class.
Mr. Tilakratne (1992) assessed the minimum levels of learning in mathematics of first standard student of Vadodara city with respect to their medium of Instruction, gender and academic qualification of parents. The sample of the study was 233 students of grade one.
Major finding of the study were:
 Concept of line, number and addition was not understood by the student.
 Students failed to master the skills in basic arithmetic with numbers from 6 to 10.
Mr. Chel (1990) has examined the problem of under achievement in compulsory mathematics in the madhyamic examination of West Bengal. The sample comprised urban, semi-urban and rural student of class VI to X of West Bengal. The following caused were found responsible for underachievement.
Gaps in knowledge of concepts, difficulties in understanding of mathematics language, lack of openness and flexibility in teaching, difficulty in mathematisation of verbal problems and interpretation of mathematical results, the abstract nature of mathematics, fear and anxiety on the part of the students. They suggest greater motivation of students for learning mathematics, removal of fear of mathematics, and clearer presentation of the subject based on the need of the children.
Jain and Burad (1988) have found the causes responsible for low results in secondary mathematics at Rajasthan. The study comprised of rural and urban boys and girls of 100 governments and private schools with lower results that those of the private student of Rajasthan. The tools used to collect data included questionnaire for subject experts, heads of the institution, subject teacher and student.
The two main causes for low results were as follows:
 Administrative causes: Non-availability of mathematics teachers due to late appointment and frequent transfer, irregular attendance of students, teacher’s habit of leaving the headquarters daily and lack of residential facilities.
 Academic causes: Low standard in the lower classes, non-availability of text-book, lack of timely correlation of homework, an overburdened and uninteresting curriculum, and lack of child centered training, overcrowded classrooms, lack of sufficient periods for the subjects, use of guided books by students and lack of proper supervision.
Lalithama (1975) studied factors affecting achievement of students in mathematics at secondary level. The study was conducted on 732 pupils of standard nine selected on stratified random basis. The tools used were a standardized achievement test in mathematics, a study habit inventory and Raven’s progressive matrices.
Major findings of the study were:
 The achievement in mathematics was positively related to intelligence, interest, study habits and socio economic status.
 Studying lessons daily, studying mathematics by writing, repetition in learning, spaced learning and over learning influenced the achievement in mathematics positively.
Forum shah(2005) difficulties in the instructional process of mathematics faced by the teacher and students of upper primary class. She discussed some of the problems faced by teacher:
 Teachers wants to give more practice in regular class but time is not sufficient
 Level of the teacher is too high and that of the students is very low. So teacher finds it very difficult to reach to the level of the students.
 Some teacher teaches science also along with mathematics and so in order to complete other science activities, it is difficult to concentrate on mathematics and complete the syllabi in time.
 Some teachers are qualified in other subject and they have to teach mathematics. So they are not confident enough to teach mathematics as their respective subject.
Following are her suggestions:
 Before entering the class, teachers should be thorough with the content
 Student centered approach should be emphasized
 Student’s fundamentals are quite poor, so teachers should make them clear by giving more practice.
 Proper errors analysis should be done and students should be provided with remedial classes.
 Teachers should use more reference books to give more examples and more practice.
 Teacher should integrate various technologies in their lessons as much as possible.
 Teacher should modify their pace according to the pace of the learners. Teacher should not be too fast or in hurry of completing the syllabi. More importance should be given to the learners than on syllabus.
 Evaluation should be done on regular basis.
Rationale:

The subject, Mathematics plays an important role in education. The major motivation for studying and practicing mathematics at an advanced level as it is interesting and enjoyable. People like the Challenge it poses, its clarity, and the fact that you know with precision when you are right. The solution derived for a problem provides excitement and gives a sense of satisfaction. Mathematics plays a major role in all fields like Science, Commerce and Arts. In this global era we find a wide use of computer in every field, in schools also starting from the procedure of admission to giving results of the student computer is used. To learn the basic of computer and for higher programming, Mathematics is quintessential.

Irrespective of the importance given to the study of Mathematics, surprisingly the performance of the students is par below the desirable level of achievement at National level.

Rastogi (1991) says that, ”though mathematics has occupied a place of significance and great deal of consideration and attention is being given to it, in reality, our efforts still seem short to reach the desirable level of performance in the mathematics achievement.

A broad survey of literature dealing with different aspects of teaching and learning of mathematics finds a wide variety of work in different sub areas like

 Teaching methodology
 Techniques of teaching and learning
 Approaches of teaching and learning
 Innovations in the field of teaching and learning
 Instructional material for effective teaching and learning

A study of the literature in the teaching and learning of mathematics indicate that investigators in India and abroad are concerned with studying the greater depths of the teaching and learning process involving mathematics.
The areas studied by most researchers’ deals with different aspects of mathematics namely

 Problem solving
 Algebraic manipulation
 Shape and Space
 Perception of students
 Conceptualization of the nature of mathematics

In the recent past, several attempts were made by researchers to shed some light on mathematics subject. In the process of reviewing these studies, the investigator has come across several such attempts with regard to teaching and learning of mathematics. Here the investigator has thought it necessary to review those studies as they would provide the required insight into various processes involved in the effective teaching and learning of mathematics. The literatures indicate various factors and identify the gap between the Actual achievement and Expected achievement.

In the process of effective teaching-learning, learners as well as teachers play an important role. Data suggest that there are several researches conducted for the Study of Problems faced by Students in teaching-learning of different subjects, but there are very few researches conducted for the Study of Problems faced by Mathematics Teachers. In fact mathematics teacher is the major role holder in the effective teaching-learning process of mathematics.

A teacher has to generate that energy in oneself and handle it in one's work of educating the boys and girls that resort to him or her. A teacher has not only to instruct but also to inspire the students; he or she has to influence the life and character of his or her students, and equip them with ideas and values which will fit them to enter the stream of national life as worthy citizens
No longer is the teacher seen predominantly as a dispenser of information or walking tape recorder, but rather as a facilitator or manager of the students' learning. The introduction of problem-based learning with a consequent fundamental change in the student-teacher relationship has highlighted this change in the role of the teacher from one of information provider to one of facilitator

Teachers plan a major role in the process of effective teaching-learning process and are the major component for the success or failure established in the due progress of derivation of expected results. As teacher is the main source of transaction of curriculum to the students. It is very essential for teachers to have content mastery, availability of resources, and knowledge of different techniques and methodology. If any one of the above factor is lacking the teaching-learning process could not become effective, as they all are interdependent.

Above factors are to be kept in mind as they are necessary

 to reduce the abstractness of the subject
 to motivate the learner
 to develop interest in the subject
 to reduce the dropouts
 to improve the results of students

It is extremely difficult for teachers to focus on improving mathematics education when they face enormous problems in school. The feedback mechanism is not strengthened and hence Teachers are not provided wit adequate support for addressing them. This revelation may be stunning but the facts are reality bites and needs to be studied and addressed to bridge the gap between Actual Result and Expected Result.

Hence it is timely to conduct small research project which would look into the present scenario of the school and answer those questions such as:

 Whether resources are available of not?
 Whether teachers’ get proper infrastructural facilities or not?
 Whether they get administrative support or not?
 Whether they get support form the parents or not? …. Etc.

Statement of the problem:

A study of problems faced by mathematics teacher of English medium higher secondary school affiliated to Gujarat secondary education board.

Objectives of the study:

To study the problems faced by mathematics teachers in context of teaching learning process.

Delimitation of the study:

The study is delimited to

 Study is restricted to higher secondary school teachers
 Teachers of only Vadodara city are taken into consideration

Methodology:

The present study falls under the category of in-depth survey of higher secondary mathematics teachers to study the problem faced by them in teaching learning process.

This study mainly divides into three phases:

1) In-depth study of the related literature and finalizing the tool with the help of the experts in the field of mathematics education.
2) Collecting data from selected sample
3) Analyzing data and Writing of thesis
Population:

The population of the study is all teachers who are working in the English medium higher secondary school of Vadodara affiliated to Gujarat secondary education board.

Sample:

16 English medium schools will be selected at random dividing Vadodara city into four geographical zones east, west, south and north. From each zone four schools are selected at random.

Tools and Techniques to be employed:

Questionnaire will be design by the investigator covering various aspects mentioned below which influence teaching-learning process in classroom.
 Economical problems
 Social problems
 Problems related to parents of the students
 Problems related to administration
 Problems related to availability of resources
 Problems related to content
 Problems related to behavior of the students
 Problems related to discipline in the classroom
 Problems related to availability of infrastructural facilities
 Problems related to instruction process

This tool will be further finalized by two experts in mathematics education field.
Data collection:

The tool finalized by expert will be utilized to collect the data in terms of the response given to the questionnaire by higher secondary mathematics teacher.

Data analysis:
The responses given by the teacher will be further analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively.
Reference:

Frame Work for Classroom Assessment www.fi.uu.nl/catch/products/framework/de_lange_framework.doc

George, A. N. (2003) Mathematical Backwardness and Remediation in Goa, An Unpublished Ph.D. Thesis, CASE.M.S.University, Baroda.

George, A. N. (1993) Construction and Standardization of Test to find the Mathematical weakness in eight standard students. An Unpublished M.Ed. Dissertation, CASE.M.S.University, Baroda.

Government of India, Report of the Education Commission, Education and National Development 1964-1966. New Delhi: Ministry of Education

Government of India, (1986) National Policy on Education-1986. New Delhi: MHRD

Sashidharan, T. (1992) Learning Intellectual Skill as an Educational outcome in Relation to student Entry Characteristics and Quality of Instruction. An Unpublished Ph.D. Thesis. Vadodara: CASE, M.S.University, Baroda

Shah, L.M.(1994), A study of Mathematical Weakness of standard VIII students of Baroda City with respect to their medium of Instruction, Sex and Tuition class, M.Ed. Dissertation, CASE, M.S.Universtiy, Baroda

National Council of Techers of Mathematics. NCTM Standards, http://www.nctm.org/standards/#annuals

NCERT (2000) National Curriculum Framework for School Education. New Delhi: NCERT

Newsom,C.V.(1951), The place of Mathematics in Modern Education in George, A. N. (2003) Mathematical Backwardness and Remediation in Goa, An Unpublished Ph.D. Thesis, CASE.M.S.University, Baroda.

TilakRatne, R.M(1992) Minimum Levels of Learning Mathematics of first Standard Students: An assessment, M.Ed. Dissertation, CASE, M.S.University, Baroda.

Trivedi, K.D.(2004) A study of errors committed in Algebra by the students of class VIII in Vadodara City, An Unpublished M.Ed. Dissertation, CASE, M.S.University, Baroda.

www.azimpremjifoundation.org/html/ceonewsletter.htm

mathforum.org/pcmi/int2001report/page91.html

www.globaled.org/guidelines/guidelines.pdf