Don't let students fear math

Master Nguyen Anh Tuan, Principal of Chu Van An Secondary School (Hanoi) said that, up to now, many students were afraid of studying Math, considering this subject: dry, difficult, and painful. Since implementing the 2018 General Education Program, integrating Math with Natural Sciences and topics of practical life, students have become more enthusiastic.

However, during the teaching process, as principal, Mr. Tuan realized that the new program had many changes, high requirements for teaching and developing capacity, and practical application, both teachers and students encountered difficulties and challenges.

In constructing test and assessment questions, teachers also face difficulties due to the lack of quality question banks. Questions and exercises to test practical applications are sometimes forced, many situations are not close to reality. Therefore, although students are more enthusiastic, their ability to think logically and reason is still weak. Most students focus on mathematical types that apply theory, afraid to face "strange" problems.

“Mathematics is not only a basic science that trains logical thinking but also an important tool to help form and develop problem-solving skills and the ability to apply them in practice” Mr. Pham Duc Tam - Director of the Institute for STEM Application Research and Human Resources Training (IASTEM)

From teaching practice, Mr. Thieu Quang Tung, a Math teacher at Cau Giay Secondary School ( Hanoi ), said that applied math has been present in lectures but has not been widely implemented in the program. The content is mainly integrated in topics such as probability, statistics, geometry, and algebra.

According to Mr. Tung, applied mathematics helps students develop problem-solving skills, increase their interest in learning, connect mathematics with life and prepare for future careers related to mathematics. However, the difficulty is that teachers have not received specialized training, lack time and are under pressure of exam results. Meanwhile, students are not yet familiar with practical thinking and open-ended problems.

Mr. Tung shared that some effective math teaching methods that can be implemented are: Building situations, integrating technology, differentiating according to students' abilities; teaching through games and experiential activities.

Be careful when doing the exam

At the workshop “Teaching Applied Mathematics in High Schools” recently held in Hanoi, Prof. Dr. Tran Van Tan, Hanoi National University of Education, said that if students study pure Mathematics, they will only work with the surreal world, which can easily cause fatigue and boredom. Therefore, practical application examples will help make the lesson more lively, stimulating students’ curiosity and exploration. However, he noticed that today, some teachers set test questions with forced practical application questions.

Therefore, Professor Tan warns that high school teachers, when creating "real-life" situations in math lessons or exams, need to be extremely careful, respect established scientific laws, and avoid arbitrarily creating unfounded laws. Because when simulating without accuracy, it can easily cause misunderstandings, distorting students' perception of the world.

Deputy Head of the General Education Department (Ministry of Education and Training) Ta Ngoc Tri emphasized that general education is the place to prepare young human resources for the country in the future. Therefore, Mr. Tri hopes that general education teachers will innovate their lessons in the classroom in a way that is related to life, integrating familiar stories so that students can see the connection between Mathematics and reality and love the subject more.