THETEXTBOOK

Few tools have been so misused as text books in teaching. It will be know exaggeration to say that text books have become ends in the part of education. The teachers are following the text books blindly. The essence of Mathematics teaching consists in helping the children to discover the formula, truths etc… It is not desirable the pupils learn anything from the note book before the matter is taken up in the class.



Uses of the text book

1. Good text book saves the time of the teacher as well as of the learner.
2. Without a text book the duty of the teacher is so difficult in the teaching process. If there is no text book the teacher has to prepare the required exercises for every time, leads to wastage of time.
3. If there is no text book, the child has to listen and follow what the teacher said. If there is a text book the child can verify the teaching of the teacher at home.
4. Text is a cheapest and reliable tool of information.
5. It concise in the form of size.
6. Homework made easy.
7. A good text book furnishes a large collection of graded exercises.
8. It helps for self study and preparation for examination.


QUALITIES OF A GOOD TEXT BOOK


1. External qualities like get up, paper, printing etc.. Should be good.
2. Price of the text should reasonable.
3. Topics must be illustrated with diagrams, sketches and real life situations.
4. It should be free from mistakes.
5. The problems should be related to the daily life situations.
6. There should not be too many examples to avoid spoon feeding.
7. The matter should be regularly updated.
8. There should be some challenging exercises to satisfy the gifted.
9. It should satisfy the demands of examination also.
10. It should be easily available in the market.
11. Irrelevant matter should be avoided.

HOME WORK

School time is not sufficient to satisfy the curriculum of mathematics. There should be given some work to the pupil to provide practice after school is called as home work. The home work supplements class room teaching. It should be done by the pupil at home on his own. Now a day it is necessary and more important. Some educationalists are not agreed with the concept of home work. They feel that. It is an extra burden on the child in the learning process.

POINTS TO BE BARE IN MIND FOR A SUCCESSFUL HOME WORK: -


1. Home work should be well graded.
2. Its nature and amount must be determined by the individual.
3. It should not be considered as punishment.
4. While giving home work individual differences must be kept in the mind of the teacher.
5. It should not be given in the state of disturbed mind.
6. Home work time table must be prepared well in advance.
7. It should be duly checked and corrected.
8. It may be taken for annual assessment also.


Checking and correction of home work is essential. It is expected to be a routine work done by the teacher. If it is unchecked, it does not fulfill its purpose. Thorough and regular checking is almost not possible, especially when a teacher concerned with two or more sections of students every day.

DRILL WORK

Drill is one of the most widely used device and practicing in our schools. It is a serious activity. It provides an opportunity for self improvement of the child. It accelerates the speed and accuracy of problem solving. The basic facts of Mathematics can be memorized through the drill. It helps the back ward student. There is no mechanical cramming. As there is a saying, “PRACTICE MAKES MAN PERFECT”, it suits to all groups.


For an effective drill work one should kept some points in their mind.
1. Moderate the initial practice and systematic review are superior to over learning.
2. Drilled material should be meaningful.
3. Much of drill work should be indivisuvalised.
4. It should be varied, and should give various forms for acceleration.
5. It should be motivated.
6. Healthy environment should be provided.
7. Drill can also be given as home work.
8. Effective drill develops knowledge and skill, so it must be meaningful

WRITTEN WORK

Oral work can only give a start and new concepts have to be ensured and ascertained by putting them in black and white. Oral must be supplied with some paper work, which is called as written work. Oral discussions and mental images are not always enough and cannot possibly be retained for a long period. Therefore mental work should associate with written work. Oral must be supplement by written work. Over emphasis on oral work leads to harmful attitude. In some cases some pupils not gain substantially from oral work. Written work is, in a way mental information of information acquired orally. Oral work forms the starting, written forms the end.


There is a saying that, “READING MAKES A FULL MAN, CONFERENCE A READY MAN AND WRITING AN EXACT MAN”. Hence written work must be given to the pupil.

ORAL WORK

Oral work is the work which is done orally without using paper and pen. It is not a written work. It can be defined as a mental work. The teacher is expected an answer in the form of one or two words.

Functions of Oral Work: -

1. It has an appeal for the eye and ear.
2. With the help of oral help of oral work, some time can be possibly saved.
3. It is suitable for securing attention of the students and for making them concentrate.
4. A few oral questions can make them alert and active.
5. Many ideas can be understandable easily through this.
6. It removes the shyness of pupils through oral expressions.
7. It sharpens intelligence.
8. Good mental exercise.
9. At the initial stage it is effective and interesting.
10. Proper usage leads to motivation.
11. Develops accuracy, exactness and precision.
12. Encourages healthy competition.
13. Builds strong foundation for written work.

TECHNIQUES OF TEACHING

There are number teaching techniques in the teaching of mathematics. Important techniques are Oral work, Drill work, Home work, Assignments.

LABORATORY METHOD

Mathematics is subject which has to be learnt by doing rather than by reading. The doing of mathematics, gives rise to need of suitable method and suitable place. Laboratory method and Mathematical laboratory are the proper answers to it. The method is an activity method leads the pupil to discover mathematical facts. It is based on “Learning by doing”, “Learning by observation” and proceeding from concrete to abstract. It is an extension method of Inductive method. It is more elaborated and practical form of Induction. Pupil not only listens, but also does something practically. Principles have to be discovered, generalizations will be drawn in this process.


The construction work in Geometry is on the whole a work, called Laboratory. The drawing of a line, construction of a triangle, rectangle, circle etc, comes under the Laboratory method. In this process the use of equipment develops the calculating skill also. There are plenty of topics we can do through this method.

MERITS OF LABORATORY METHOD

1. It is interesting and joyful to the learner.
2. It is based on learning by doing and observation.
3. It proceeds from concrete to abstract.
4. Psychologically sound.
5. Learner acquires a clear understanding on the topic.
6. Provides scope for independent as well as group work.
7. Develops healthy relation ship between teacher and pupil.
8. Develops cooperative spirit, exchange of ideas with each other.
9. Geometry can be taught very successfully.

DEMERITS OF LABORATORY METHOD

1. The method is very expensive.
2. All topics are not suitable to teach.
3. Time consuming.
4. Expects extraordinary skills.
5. Difficult for a large class.