Best Practice in Teaching Mathematics: Effective Approaches in Teaching Mathematics Using Reusable InstructionalMaterialsAn Investigatory Project of Mini English ProgramAnubanyasothon chool!angsanit Roa"# $ai Muang# Muang %asothon# Thailan"Researcher:Mrs& !herlenne Mae Asuncion' AtupanAc(no)le"gementTheresearcher )ishtoe*pressher"eepest than(san"gratitu"etothefollo)ingpeople )ho have e*ten"e" their valuable time an" support for ma(ing this stu"y possible&+ithout them# this case stu"y )oul" not have been successful& Than(s to :Mr& Pra(artu)annaharn#Anubanyasothonchool,s-irectorforsupportingmeinthis project.Anubanyasothon chool,s Assistant -irectors for the moral support. Mrs& Prenpapa /haraenporn# Anubanyasothon chool,s MEP 0ea"# for the support.Mrs& unant Rueangsanam# Anubanyasothon chool MEP /oor"inator# for the moralsupport an" partner in teaching Mathematics . Mr& -an"el Marlon Atupan# for some i"eas. My fello) MEP teachers for the encouragement. My stu"ents at school for the smiles.My family# parents# an" frien"s for the moral support. An" above all to 1o" )ho gives me )is"om an" goo" health ma(ing this project intoreality& Teacher Mae iiTable of /ontents PageTitle page22222222222222222222222&Ac(no)le"gment22222222222222222222 ii/ontents22222222222222222222222&iii3ist of Tables2222222222222222222222 ivAbstract22222222222222222222222& v4& The ProblemIntro"uction22222222222222222/onceptual 5rame)or(222222222222222&&tatement of the Problem22222222222222&&Assumption2222222222222222222&0ypothesis of the tu"y222222222222222&ignificance of the tu"y22222222222222&&-elimitation of the tu"y22222222222222&&-efinition of Terms22222222222222226Revie) of 3iterature7n Teaching Mathematics222222222222227n tu"ies about Mathematics Teaching2222227n tu"ies of Best Practices 222222222222&/ontents Page8 Metho"ologyResearch -esign22222222222222222Research 3ocale22222222222222222The ubject9Respon"ents2222222222222ampling Proce"ure222222222222222Research Instruments222222222222222/on"uct of the tu"y222222222222222Management of /lasses22222222222222-ata gathering Proce"ure2222222222222The tatistical Treatment2222222222222:Presentation# Analysis an" Interpretation of -ata; ummary# 5in"ings# /onclusions an" recommen"ationsummary2222222222222222222225in"ings an" /onclusions22222222222222&Recommen"ations22222222222222222&ReferencesAppen"ices3ist of TablesTable Page4 -istribution of ubject'respon"ents Accor"ing to Aca"emic Performance in Mathematics222222 6 /ommon Problems Encountere" by stu"ents an" Teachers in Teaching an"3earning Mathematics& =An investigatory Project#Anubanyasothon chool# !angsanit Roa"# %asothon# Thailan">&This stu"y )as reali?e" after ; years of teaching Mathematics both in Primary an" econ"ary3evel& This )as through careful observation an" thorough investigation on ho) learners learn best inteachingMathematics& Theaimof this stu"y)as toinvestigateeffectiveteachingapproaches#strategies# metho"# an"techni@ues inteachingMathematics. an"tochec()hether thereusableinstructional material ma"e )as effective in teaching Mathematics& econ"ary stu"ents from IntensiveEnglish Program in Ubon Ratchathani# Thailan" an" Primary tu"ents from Mini English ProgramAMEPB in%asothon# Thailan")ereobserve"an"investigate"fromchool %ear 6CCD'6C48& Theresultssho)e"that3earnerslearnbestinMathematicsthroughe*periential# stu"ent'centere"# an"cognitive metho" of teaching. an" the reusable instructional material ma"e )as effective in teachingMathematicsbecausestu"ents)eremoreengage"# moreinteractive# an"gaine"moreconceptualun"erstan"ing in Mathematics concepts&/hapter 4The ProblemIntroductionTeaching Mathematics is a challenging )or(to"o& Itinvolvestimeof preparation#lessonplanning# preparing of Instructional Materials# figuring out the best an" effective teaching approaches#strategies# metho"s an" techni@ues to be use" an" helping out influence the learners to "evelop lovefor Mathematics& But teaching is not just a job# it is in fact more than a job since teaching is not onlyto instruct stu"ents in the subject but also influences them to love learning& That is# learning to loveMathematics&This paper )as ma"e into reality after five years of teaching Mathematics in Thailan" both inPrimary an" econ"ary 3evel& This )as ma"e by investigating the stu"ents, problems an" "ifficultiesin learning Mathematics an" ho) to solve these problems& ome of the problems encountere" by thestu"ents )ere note" an" base" on these problems# varie" teaching approaches# metho"s an" strategies)ere trie" to test )hich ones )ere effective in teaching Mathematics& This is ho) EBest Practice, )as"evelope"& EBest practice in Mathematics teaching, is a serious# thoughtful# informe"# responsible# state'of'the'art teaching& It involves content base" (no)le"ge at the same time gaining (no)le"ge of thePrinciples of Teaching& As you rea" through the follo)ing pages# you can fin" valuable informationthat )ill gui"e you in teaching Mathematics an" )ill help you love teaching this subject&Statement of the ProblemThisstu"y)asconcerne"toinvestigatetheho)Mathematicsstu"entslearnbest&This stu"y )as con"ucte" in $ortheast chools in Thailan"# particularly at Ave Maria choolin rinarong Roa"# Muang Ubon# Ubon Ratchathani an" at Anubanyasothon chool#!angsanit Roa"# $ai Muang# Amphur Muang# %asothon# Thailan" 5rom chool %ear 6CCD'6C48&pecifically# this stu"y ought to:4& Investigate effective teaching approaches# strategies# metho"s an" techni@ues inteaching Mathematics&6& /hec( )hether the reusable instructional material ma"e is effective inteachingMathematics&AssumptionThe use of varie" approaches# strategies# metho"s an" techni@ues in teachingMathematics coul" enhance stu"ents, un"erstan"ing of the Mathematicalconcepts# engagethe stu"ents in the learning process# an" "evelop in them the love for Mathematics&Hypothesis of the Study3earning by "oing is the most effective )ay of teaching Mathematics&Significance of the StudyThe results of this stu"y )ill provi"e information regar"ing varie" approacheseffective in teaching Mathematics that )ill bring important implication an" insights to thefollo)ing:The students.The stu"ents, e*periential learning motivates themto un"erstan"important mathematical concepts more effectively an" enjoyably# specifically on the conceptsof fraction&The Teachers. The fin"ing of this stu"y )ill create an opportunity for teachers to fin"out ho) )ell the stu"ents benefit from their instructional efforts an" materials by presentingtheir lessonusingstu"ent'centere"approach& This )ill enable themtobetter assist thestu"ents in the learning concepts )ithout merely re@uiring them to memori?e a list of facts&The School Administrators. The fin"ings of this stu"y )ill provi"e useful informationthat )ill enable a"ministrators an"supervisors to"etermine )hat specific instructionalmaterials tobe use"an"ho)instruction shoul"be mo"ifie" an"pace" to ma*imi?eachievements in teaching Mathematics&TheMathematicsDepartmentof AnubanyasothonSchool.Theresultsofthisstu"y)ill provi"e relevant information regar"ing varie" approaches effective in teachingMathematics that )ill encourage the teachers of Anubanyasothon chool tobe moreresourceful an" innovative in presenting their lessons using e*periential approach# stu"ent'centere" metho" an" by using 0igher or"er thin(ing s(illsA cognitiveB approach&The Ministry of Education.The recommen"ations "erive" from the fin"ings of thisstu"ycoul"beagui"ingsourceofsignificant informationfortheMinistryofE"ucationofficials& They coul" then initiate in'service trainings an" seminars in "esigning appropriateteaching strategies that )ill provi"e greater focus to assist teachers to become moreresourceful an" innovative in presenting their lessons in a varie" )ays& This hopefully shoul"result in a higher achievement level in Mathematics instruction in all areas of Thailan"&The Researchers.The fin"ings of thisstu"y)ill alsoserveasreference for futureresearchers )ho plan to con"uct further stu"y on topics relate" to this research&Delimitation of the StudyThis stu"y)as con"ucte" in t)o "ifferent schools in the $ortheastern part ofThailan"& 7neistheecon"arychool atAveMariachool inrimuangRoa"#AmphurMuang# UbonRatchathani an"theotherisaPrimaryschoolat Anubanyasothonchool#!angsanit Roa"# $ai Muang# Amphur Muang# %asothon from chool %ear 6CCD to 6C48& Thisis the limitation of this stu"y&-efinition of Terms: Teachingapproach' It isaset of principles# beliefs or i"eas about thenatureoflearning)hichistranslate"intotheclassroom& It comes fromtheteacher,so)nphilosophy of e"ucation# the nature of e"ucation# the role of the teacher# an" that ofthe stu"ent& Teaching strategy-It is a long term plan of action "esigne" to achieve a particulargoal in teaching& Teaching Method-It is a systematic )ay of "oing something& It implies an or"erlylogical arrangement of steps& It is more proce"ural& Teachingtechnique-It is a)ell'"efine"proce"ure use"toaccomplishaspecificactivity or tas(& It is the teacher,s particular style or tric( use" to accomplishimme"iate objective&/hapter 6Review of LiteratureThe follo)ing revie) of literature is a "escription an" summary of the research resultsthat inspire" an" gui"e" the stu"y& Inclu"e" are the fin"ings of the stu"y that investigate"effective teaching Practices in teaching Mathematics an" the Principles of TeachingMathematics&n !athematics TeachingMathematics is a form of reasoning& Thin(ing mathematically consists of thin(ing in alogical manner# formulating an" testing conjectures# ma(ing sense of things# an" forming an"justifyingju"gments# inferences# an"conclusions& +e"emonstratemathematical behavior)hen)erecogni?e an""escribepatterns# construct physical an"conceptual mo"els ofphenomena# create symbol systems to help us represent# manipulate# an" reflect on i"eas# an"invent proce"ures tosolveproblems ABattista# 4DDDB ascite"bytheAllianceE"ucationA6CCFB& These are the basis )hy an" ho) teachers teach Mathematics&Thailan" has joine"the Tren"s inInternational Mathematics an"cience tu"yATIMB )hich )as first con"ucte" in 4DD;& TIMreports everyfour years on themathematics an" science achievement of fourth an" eighth gra"e stu"ents )orl")i"e& TIM6C44 is the fifth in the International Association for the Evaluation of E"ucationalAchievement AIEABGs series of international assessments of stu"ent achievement "e"icate" toimproving teaching an" learning in mathematics an" science& 5in"ings from the survey areuse" to inform e"ucation policy'ma(ers an" to improve teaching A The $ation# 7ct& 66# 6C46B& 5urthermore# Theresults of the)orl"Gs famous international mathan"sciencetest have sho)n that Thai stu"entsGachievements continuous "eclines over the past "eca"esince Thailan"joine"TIM& Thai stu"entsG scores )ere ;6;for science an";66formathematics in 4DD;& The scores "roppe" to :H6 AscienceB an" :FI AmathsB in 4DDD& Even in6CCI# the scores also "roppe" to :I4 AscienceB an" ::4 AmathB& Mean)hile# TIM averagescores )ere about ;CC or a little more or less than ;CC A The $ation# 7ct& 66# 6C46B& By this report# there is a nee" for effective Mathematics Instruction here in Thailan" &+hat can Math teachers "o to improve thisJ Teachers can "o a lot& By helping Thai stu"entslove Mathematics an" by effective instruction# Mathematics teachers can help Thai stu"entsimprove their Mathematics s(ills an" problemsolving s(ills& This is )hy the authorcon"ucte" this stu"y& The main aimof this stu"y is to "etermine effective teachingapproaches# strategies# metho"s an"techni@ues for effective Mathteaching& This is theauthor,s best practice in Math teaching&The Unite" tates of America AUAB has also con"ucte" a stu"y of this Best Practicebecause of the poor performance of U&& stu"ents in math& The researchers have trace" it tothe metho" use" to teach math at the elementary level& The focus is on specific problems an"not on buil"ing the foun"ations necessaryfor un"erstan"ing higher level math& Thesefoun"ations can only be built )ith a mathematics program that teaches concepts an" s(ills#an" problem'solving A-aro# 6CCFB as cite" by The E"ucation Alliance A6CCFB& n the Standards"#ased !athematics!aijain# a Professor from Khon(aen University# Thailan" con"ucte" a research aboutthe Thai Mathematics /urriculum an" Mathematical /onnections an" have foun" out that thee"ucational curriculum in Thailan" in the past )as /ontent'base" curriculum& As a result# theteachers gave an importance to teaching base" on the content by using te*tboo(s as majormaterial for instructional organi?ation because the te*tboo(s inclu"e" the "etermine" contentin curriculum ofeachclass&pecifically# throughout thelong perio" offormer time#Thaie"ucational system )as the centrali?e" system& The curricular )ere "etermine" by Ministryof e"ucation& The same total content frame )as organi?e" throughout the country& Te*tboo(sof "ifferent printings consiste" of content covering curriculum in each level by classifyinginto lessons for the teachers, convenience in organi?e their instruction& Therefore# they )erefamiliar toteachingbythete*ts as if they)erecurriculum& The$ational E"ucational/urriculum in recent time# the Ministry of E"ucation by -epartment of Aca"emic# follo)e"up an" con"ucte" research for curriculum "evelopment throughout the time& In a""ition# the research fin"ings foun" that the present curriculum )as use" for morethan4Cyears& Thecurriculumuse)asn,t beableto"evelopthebasis for thin(ingorconstructing Thai people,s learning techni@ue in organi?e an" life s(ill AMinistry ofE"ucation# 6CC4B& In a""ition to the information from the 4Cth issue of $ational Economican" ocial -evelopment regar"ing to gui"elines for "eveloping human beings in Thai society#an" the focus of Ministry of E"ucation in "eveloping youth into the 64th century# the revisionofBasicE"ucation/urriculum6CC4 )as revise" inor"ertobe core curriculum ofBasicE"ucation 6CCH )ith clearness both in objective of curriculum in "eveloping the stu"ents,@uality "evelopment# an" s(ill process in putting curriculum into practice in The E"ucationalervice Area an" schools AMinistry of E"ucation# 6CCH# p&6B& In practice# the movement ofcurriculum into classroom "i"n,t inclu"e the clear gui"elines "etermine" by curriculum&In the U accor"ing to the E"ucation Alliance A6CCFB# tan"ar"s'base" instruction inmathematics is "esigne" to clearly i"entify )hat stu"ents shoul" learn at each level&tan"ar"s provi"e more than a curriculum frame)or( as they "elineate the s(ills# conceptsan"(no)le"gethat aretobemastere"& 5or successful stan"ar"s'base"implementation#teachers must un"erstan" the rationale for using stan"ar"s# (no) applicable national an" statestan"ar"san"usethemasabasisforplanninginstruction# an"implement best practicesinstructional strategies& Essential characteristics of an effective stan"ar"s'base" mathematicsclassroom inclu"e:L 3essons "esigne" to a""ress specific stan"ar"s'base" concepts or s(ills&L tu"ent centere" learning activities&L In@uiry an" problem solving focuse" lessons&L /ritical thin(ing an" (no)le"ge application s(illsL A"e@uate time# space# an" materials to complete tas(s&L :C is spelle" as Efourty, instea" of Eforty, 48 is spelle" as =thrity> instea" of =thirteen>3anguage ome stu"ents have "ifficulty in pronouncing an" un"erstan"ing mathematical )or"s an" un"erstan"ing )or" problems&Place value ome stu"ents are confuse" )ith the place value of numbers especially )hen there,s "ecimal point& They usually start in the right numbers after the "ecimal )ith ones# then tens instea" of tenths after the "ecimal point then hun"re"ths# thousan"ths# ten thousan"ths# ten thousan"ths# hun"re" thousan"ths2&olving Problem -ifficulty of un"erstan"ing some )or"s therefore cannotun"erstan" the )hole problem&1eometry -ifficulty in "eveloping spatial sense& /annot recall the concepts for fin"ing the si?e of an angle# or can,t "ifferentiate rhombus from a parallelogram orfrom a rectangle&tatistics9Probability -ifficulty to analy?e an" ma(e "ecisions since English language is use"& Patterns95unctions9Algebra -ifficulty in "eveloping an" using tables# graphs an" rules to "escribe situations