Mathematics is deemed one of the most challenging subjects for students in the Philippines. There would always be an invisible intellectual competition in schools among students, and those who excel in Math would usually have the upper hand.
Most students would rather memorize words than analyze Math equations. And as parents, we are also bearing the burden of how we can make our kids more intellectually competitive.
What are the reasons why many children in the Philippines hate Math?
Teachers’ way of teaching
I believe that the problem does not lie in the subject itself, but by how it is perceived. And one factors that we have to consider is the way teachers teach Math to students.
Students, particularly kids, love learning. But different students learn differently. However, Math teachers sometimes take the matter into their hands and teach children the way they like, not considering how students understand the subject.
They perceive that students “need” to understand what they are teaching, and thus they are usually one chapter ahead of the students’ learning process. Teachers first need to understand that they cannot simply bring their degrees into their classroom.
Its importance is not communicated
Math is crucial in our daily lives as we deal with numbers in almost every aspect of our lives. From paying for our groceries to counting objects, we interact with figures.
However, some teachers use mathematical formulas without explaining their relevance in our day-to-day lives. That’s why students end up having the badge “I’m not good in Math” proudly just because they believe that it is not useful in life.
As a result, students end up not striving to learn Math because they were of the view that it will not benefit them in the future. So it is important for teachers and us, parents, to teach kids the relevance of Math in our daily lives.
Domino Effect
As many people dread Math, some students have been “infected” by other students’ mentality towards the subject. Since it has been a common notion for most learners to hate Math, others do not take courage to even try loving the subject. Most kids nowadays choose the “easier” way to learn. So, if we want our kids to learn how to love Math, we need to surround them with “like-minded” individuals.
Curriculum Design
Compared to other countries, the Philippines is always lagging behind. In fact, in the year 2003, among 25 countries, the Philippines is ranked 23rd in Grade 4 Math. For 2nd Year High School Math, we are on the 41st position among 15 countries. Consistent on the pedestal are Asian countries, namely Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan and Hong Kong (China).
Some students in the Philippines are winning international Math competitions, but they are usually from international schools like Chinese-Filipino schools. If we can our students advance in learning, particularly in Math, I believe we need to gear up our educational system. Of course, I know that adapting to other countries’ curriculum is not a bad idea at all.
Math may be “challenging”, but it is not impossible to learn how to love it. We just need to learn how to make kids love them just like how we do it in SAM Singapore Math. Kids learn how to love Math through our engaging and fun teaching method and soon they become independent learners and problems solvers.
