FACULTY OF EDUCATION AND LANGUAGES

JANUARI / 2014

HBMT 3203 TEACHING OF ELEMENTARY MATHEMATICS PART IV

NAME : SEO WEN BING MATRICULATION NO.: 840905135332001IDENTITY CARD NO.: 840905-13-5332TELEPHONE NO.: 013-8828570E-MAIL : seowenbing@yahoo.comNAME OF TUTOR : MR TAP ANAK JINGEBLEARNING CENTRE: SIBU LEARNING CENTER

TABLE OF CONTENTS Page

1. 0 Introduction 1

2.0 Methods of Effective Resources in Teaching and Learning 2

3.0 Resource Package Making 5

4.0 Reflection10

5.0 Summary146. 0 References15

1.0IntroductionTeaching and learning resources are commonly used in assisting a lesson in order to achieve the required outcomes. A responsible teacher will plan in advance for a lesson and the proper resources are always needed to make effective use of teaching and learning resources, including textbooks, to enhance pupils learning.There are many learning and teaching resources for mathematics, it can be Teacher Handbooks, Teaching and Learning Plans, Students CD, Stundents Interactive Activities in CD, textbooks, reference books, software packages, Useful Links, Hands-on-Resources and many. Effective use of resources will help pupils to consolidate what they have learned, extend and construct knowledge for themselves and develop learning strategies and skills. However, improper teaching and learning resources will be harmful enemies of teaching and learning mathematics. To avoid the negative effects, teachers must plan well and investigate the teaching resources in order to help pupils learning and broaden their learning experiences. All the resources need to be adapted to meet the different needs and abilities of students. In addition, teachers are advising to use their creativity to design an effective resource package or teaching aids to produce an effective teaching and learning.This paper is purposed to study the effects of applying the teaching and learning resources. A resource package or teaching aid is designed to support the implementation of teaching and learning mathematics. A reflective report will be prepared to discuss both my teaching skills and my teaching aid.

2.0Methods of Effective Resources in Teaching and Learning 2.1Definition of EffectiveEffectiveness is the capability of producing a required result. When something is deemed effective, it means it has an intended or expected outcome, or produces a deep, vivid impression by successfully producing a desired or intended result. Thus, effective can be defined as having the power to produce a desired effect or effects.2.2Definition of ResourcesA resource is a source or supply from which benefit is produced. It is something one uses to achieve an objective either in term of raw material or personnel. Typically resources include materials, services, staff and other assets. They are transformed to produce benefits such as increasing wealth, meeting needs or wants or enhanced well being. 2.3Effective Resources of Teaching and Learning in MathematicsSzendrei (1996) defines teaching and learning resources as concrete materials which means real life tools and artefacts, artificial materials which are mainly conceived and developed for educational purpose, and games including puzzles. She argues that the sort of concrete materials that should be used in mathematics classes depend largely on how the learners learn and what kind of understanding of concepts and processes is necessary.In order to produce a successful teaching and learning process, teachers use high quality, appropriate resources effectively enhance the mathematics program for pupils. The resources should fulfill some characteristics, for instant utility and potential of depletion or consumption. It should provide for range of students abilities, allow for the application and extension of student skills, and acknowledge to the cultural mix. Teaching aids are among the resources which are widely used to emphasize information, stimulate interest and facilitate the learning process. Teaching aids range from simple to sophisticated and can be visually attractive, have clear instructions, facilitate independent and cooperative work. Researchers have discovered that teaching aids enable the teacher and children to have conversations about something concrete. Having concrete objects to manipulate enables teachers to demonstrate and illustrate mathematical concepts, properties and procedures to create an environment conducive to learning (Szendrei, 1996). When children are given objects to work with and familiar background, they are able to solve problems that teachers never thought they could. Ensor (1997) postulates that children communicate their thinking to others through verbal explanation and visual demonstration when they are given concrete objects to use. Thus, concrete objects allow children to solve problems without using algorithms but through strategies designed and understood by them.Further research has found that if the tools of real life (scales, clocks, tape measures, container ,etc) or their pictures are used in the classroom, they provide evidence that real life applications can become the subject matter of the school mathematics (Szendrei, 1996).A research of the use of teaching aids and the implications for teaching and learning mathematics was held in QwaQwa phase one schools (South Africa). The study was designed to investigate the impact of using teaching aids in selected grade 3 mathematics classes. It has revealed that the participating schools attached significant importance to having teaching aids available for use in the classrooms.The teacher reported that teaching aids were felt to help the teachers explain and pupils understand mathematical concepts. For example, using board games such as Bush Walk helps to build on the counting skills and knowledge. The game also helped pupils to develop the required numeration vocabulary. In addition, the teachers felt that when teaching aids were present, pupils did not regard the classroom as a strange environment. Real objects such as money, watches, egg cartons and etc. created an environment where pupils felt at home and free to explore.Another study of teaching aids was subjected by University Educational Studies. The result of the study shows that, out of the class of 30 individuals, approximately 2/3 scored greater than 80% after imparted using certain teaching aids. The scores were significantly higher than the teaching and learning without any teaching aids. However, there were minority of pupils who were less successful.There were evident from the results of these studies that teaching aids are being used in a useful way to teach mathematics in the participating classes. All the teachers had resource to teaching aids and all the pupils profited in some way from their use.

3.0 Resource Package MakingThe topic of Year 4 Mathematics that I had chosen is Time. Most of the Year 4 pupils were facing the problem of this topic as time is too abstract for them. They were failed to convert time because it was difficult for them to imagine something that cannot be seen by eyes. In order to master this topic, they need some teaching resources and teaching aids. A well designed teaching aid should promote perception and understanding, arouse the pupils interest, aid memory retention, simple and straight to the point, interesting and attractive.To solve the difficulty of understanding some abstract concept of time, the effective teaching aid must fulfill the criteria as below:i. Aid the pupils to see time.ii. Aid the pupils to touch time.iii. Aid the pupils to remember the concept retentively.iv. Simple and attractive.Therefore, a tool named Time Machine was designed. The Time Machine is a teaching aid to help the pupils to see and touch time. The existence of the Time Machine will catalyze the learning process of time conversion by imparting the pupils via the senses of sight and touch. The Time Machine concretes the abstract concept of time. Now, pupils can learn the solid concept of time in shorter time.The function of this teaching aid, Time Machine, is to introduce the relationship of hour-day, day-week and month-year. Apart from that, the pupils can also learn to convert time involving hour-day, day-week and month-year with the aid of the Time Machine.To build up the Time Machine, first of all, the materials and tools such as newspaper clips, various colours clothespins, wires, grey colour cardboard, blade and a pairs of scissors were prepared to build the Time Machine. Two newspaper clips were needed and disassembled into four parts as shown in Figure 3.1. These materials could be gathered easily as it is always been seen in our daily life and cost us nothing.

Figure 3.1Secondly, the four parts of newspaper clips were reassembled again become a square frame as shown in Figure 3.2 and Figure 3.3. The separated parts of newspaper clips were jointed with screws and nuts. The purpose of the frame is to support the other parts of the Time Machine.

Figure 3.2 Figure 3.3 After that, the wires were tied on the frame horizontally. The wires were measured and cut using scissors according to the wide of the frame. The wires must be tied tightly and made sure they are straight and undeviating. The wires act as time lines which allow time to move on them. Different colours of wires were used to represent the different units of time. For example, red wire was used to represent hour while yellow wire represent day. By using the various colour wires, the pupils will be able to distinguish the different units of time easily. (Refer to Figure 3.4, Figure 3.5 and Figure 3.6).

Figure 3.4 Figure 3.5

Figure 3.6Then, the cardboard was measured according to the size of the frame. Cut the cardboard with the blade and pasted on the back of the frame as shown in Figure 3.7. The cardboard was purposed to show the contrast between the background and the colourful clothespins.

Figure 3.7After binding the cardboard with the frame, the Time Machine was almost done. The time lines were labelled as hour, day, week, month and year as shown in Figure 3.8 and Figure 3.9. The label can be changed to suit the needs.

Figure 3.8 Figure 3.9Put on the various colour clothespins to the time lines accordingly. Each colour represented different unit of time such as hour, day, week, month or year. The Time Machine was completely set up. The application of the Time Machine is similar with abacus. For instant, in the relationship of day and hour, green clothespins represent hour and orange represent day. Twenty four green clothespins are pinned on the hour-line and one orange clothespin on the day-line. Then, teacher moves the hour-line clothespins and count with pupils one by one. While reach the twenty fourth, the teacher return the green clothespins to the original place and tick off the orange clothespin. At the same time the teacher shall explain to the pupils that twenty four hours equal to one day and vice versa. For the advance, the teacher may pin more orange clothespins on day-line. After the teacher has moved the twenty four green clothespins for the second time, another red clothespin can be tick off to show the second day. This method is available for the relationship of week-day and year-month. In addition, the teacher may ask some of the pupils operate the Time Machine. It will be more impressive if the pupils operate the Time Machine.

4.0ReflectionThe topic of Year 4 Mathematics that I had chosen is Time. It was a challenging topic as the pupils are always facing difficulty to catch the abstract perception of time. Therefore, an effective resources package was needed to overwhelm the above problem. The Time Machine which I had created is capable to impart the concept of time to the pupils via the senses of sight and touch. I had assembled nine Year 4 pupils of SJK(C) Ming Wok to attend a tuition class at 5:00p.m. on 26th February 2014. The Time Machine was first introduced to the pupils. The subtopic that I taught was relationship of day-hour, week-day and year-month. During the teaching and learning process, the pupils suppose to be able to:i. state that 1 day equal to 24 hours, 1 week 7 days, and 1 year 12 months.ii. convert various units of time (day-hour, week-day and year-month).The lesson took time 30 minutes including delivering knowledge and evaluation. It spent about 20 minutes for me to impart the knowledge to the pupils and 10 minutes to evaluate them by written test. All of the pupils were able to state 1 day equal to 24 hours, 1 week 7 days, and 1 year 12 months. 7/9 of the pupils were able to solve the simple conversion questions. Here I will be using the method of S.W.O.T (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) to assess both my teaching skills and teaching aids.I. Strengths The Time Machine, my design, is an attractive teaching aid because of its name. In childrens world, Time Machine was first known in a comic titled Doraemon. In the story, Doraemon was a cyber cat who came from the future world to assist a boy named Nobita. He always moved across the future and now by the Time Machine. The story of Doraemon is famous among the children. For sure they will be attracted and curious once I introduce this teaching aid, and eventually they were full of excitement. They just cannot overwhelm their curiosity to see the operation of the Time Machine. This proved that I had successfully increased their interest and desire besides attract their attention. Apart from that, the Time Machine allowed the pupils to count with the movement of hours, days, weeks, months and years. They did not need to imagine the relationship of various units of time by just reading equations. The movement of the clothespins (hours, days, weeks, months and years) can now impresses them with the animated pictures. Researched showed that animated pictures is able to leave the strongest trace in our brains and they will be long-lasting. In Mathematics teaching and learning, various colours are very important to show the differences and no topic is excepted, so is the topic of Time. By having the different colours of clothespins to represent different units of time, the pupils will be able to distinguish the relationships between day and hour, week and day, and lastly year and month.Counting the movement of time (clothespins) with teacher can concrete the perception of the pupils toward time. Once the pupils have a solid concept about time, they can convert time in any units by using the addition, subtraction, multiple and division methods.Besides, the materials of making the Time Machine are easy to be found. In addition, these materials can always be reused. This advantage allow us cost nothing in preparing the teaching aids.

II. WeaknessesDuring the teaching and learning process, I had found that I did make a serious mistake. The pupils were attending the tuition class since 2:30p.m. and I was busy for my works start from the morning. Both the teacher and the pupils were exhausted before the class ended. Most of the pupils were inactive after a short while of the class started. The time of the class I chosen was obviously not suitable. In order to attract the pupils attention, I am supposed to act exaggeratedly. But I was practically conservative in teaching. I was lack of body language and appropriate eyes contact. From the recorded video, I found that I had only moved my hands slightly. I did not attract all the pupils but only pupils at the first raw and some at the back. My intonation was too flat and eventually most of the pupils could not maintain their interest. Few of them were fatigued and even laid on the table. Anyway, they could still be able to catch up the lesson.There was a shortcoming on my design teaching aid, the Time Machine. The Time Machine was equipped only 4 time lines. That means I could only prepare for either two of the three relationships of time units, day-hour, week-day or year-month. I was bound to take off the labels and paste the other labels again in order to start the remainder. It took me few minutes to complete the work. Apart from that, I realized that I did not fully utilize the Time Machine. First, I failed to count the time (clothespins) one by one to impress and concrete the pupils for the concept. Besides, the Time Machine was light and easy to carry. I did not realize that I could carry the Time Machine and walk around the class to draw the attention of the pupils.

III. Opportunities From the weaknesses and mistakes that I had found, there were several opportunities for me to improve my teaching skills and teaching aid. Above all, I had learnt to plan my lessons well in advance of presenting a lesson. During the period of advanced planning, I will identify time, environment and activities to make sure that no difficulty will be caused especially onto the pupils spirit. I had also learnt to exaggerate my action during the teaching process. Experience shows that act exaggeratedly can draw the pupils from distraction and arouse their spirit on study. Besides, I can promote myself by diversifying my intonation. The rise and fall of the voice in speaking will always affect the pupils to pay attention on the teacher.Last but not least, I had found out a way to improve my design teaching aid, the Time Machine. To solve the problem of exchanging the labels, I can install more time lines at both sides of the Time Machine. When I am going to teach a new concept, I can twist the Time Machine to show the other side. This refinement of the Time Machine is able to save the time of exchanging the labels.

IV. Threats All the pupils were able to state the relationship of day-hour, week-day and year-month. The only threat two of the pupils were just back to normal class from restoration class last year. They were weak in multiplication and division. Therefore, it was a fence that they could not cross over. I have to spend a lot of time to facilitate them to manage the basic concept and application of multiplication and division. They can only advance to conversion of time after they have mastered the mentioned calculation techniques.

5.0SummaryTo produce an effective teaching and learning, appropriate resources or teaching aids are needed to support the lesson plan and assist learning. Especially in foundation phase classes, teaching aids play a very important role to impact teaching and learning mathematics. Teaching aids, as educational materials, create opportunities which may reveal misconceptions on the part of both teachers and pupils. A responsible teacher will plan lessons well in advance of presenting an effective teaching and learning processes. During this advanced planning, the teacher will try to identify the areas or sections of the content which will cause pupils some difficulties. Once these difficulties have been identified, the teacher will select appropriate resources or teaching aids and activities to guide the pupils to grasp the required concepts or ideas.Well design teaching aids should promote perception and understanding, aid memory retention, motivate and arouse interest through requiring pupils to use different sense to learn, simple and straight to the point. With the aids of my design, the Time Machine, pupils were successfully to be attracted and paid full attention to the lesson. Even though the pupils were tired and fatigued, the results of the worksheet showed that 100% of them had mastered the relationship of day-hour, week-day and year-month, 77.78% of them could convert various units of time. The minority of the pupils were less successful because they could not do the algorithms well especially multiplication and division. These significance of the results showed that the resources that I selected and the teaching aid, the Time Machine, that I designed had eventually produce an effective teaching and learning. Obviously, the results also prove the usage of appropriate resources or teaching aids strengthen and produce effective teaching and learning.

6.0References1. Frank Harrison, &Frank Harrison B.S.( 2003). Using Learning Resources to Enhance Teaching and Learning. Centre for Educational Development, Imperial College London. 2. Mamokhele, J. M. (2002).An Analysis of The Use of Teaching Aids and The Implications for Teaching and Learning Mathematics in QwaQwa Phase One Schools (South Africa). Presented in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts at Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. 3. Muruglah. V, Kao. Th.K & Lena .V.Teaching of Elementary Mathematics Part IV.(2rd). Open University. Meteor Doc. Sdn. Bhd.4. A Teaching Aid Study. University Education Studies Help /Advice. Available: http://www.thetutorpages.com/tutor-article/university-educational-studies/a- teaching-aid-study/1561. [ 2014,Mac 2].[Online].5. Lesson materials and teaching aids. UK Centre for Legal Education.[Online].Available: http://www.ukcle.ac.uk/resources/teaching-and-learning-strategies/lesson- materials-and-teaching-aids/.[ 2014,Feb 22]. 6. Teaching Ideas. Time .[Online].Available : http://www.teachingideas.co.uk/maaths/contents_time.htm. [ 2014,Feb 27]. 7. Time Teaching Resource .[Online].Available: http://www.sparklebox.co.uk/maths/shape-space-measures/time/. [ 2014,Mac1]. 8. Home School Math. net.[Online]. Available:http://www.homeschoolmath.net/teaching/teaching-fractions.php.[2014, Feb 27]. 9. Tan.S.N. et al.(2013). Matematik Tahun 4 (Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Cina KSSR). Pelangi Sdn Bhd.

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