Further to a week-long Mathematics Clinic undertaken by no fewer than 15 Mathematics teachers of Lagos State public secondary schools in August, another 440 mathematics teachers drawn from the six educational districts of the state have been undergone another clinic in an exercise aimed at improving the performances of public schools’ students in Mathematics.
The state Commissioner for Education, Olayinka Oladunjoye, who disclosed this in Lagos, explained that the objective of the training is to update the knowledge of mathematics teachers in the state public secondary schools and also improve the teaching and learning of the subject in schools with a view to achieving improved performance.
Oladunjoye said: “The objective of the clinic is to improve the teaching skills and competences of the mathematics teachers, to expose them to some new topics in secondary school mathematics, to expose them to some model and innovative methods of teaching mathematics and to also provide teachers and schools with model and innovative instructional materials for effective of teaching mathematics.”
According to her, the training focused on different strategies, including active learning, effective teaching, use of resource materials such as teaching modules and kits for effective teaching in secondary schools, teaching of difficult concepts in Mathematics in secondary schools and practical steps for effective teaching of subject topics among others.
She pointed out that other areas of focus of the training include how to generate the interest of students in mathematics, effective counselling of students, setting of mathematics laboratories in schools, use of games for effective teaching, use of computer in teaching, assessment and grading for effective evaluation procedure, popularization of mathematics in schools, content mastering and innovative teaching and learning skills.
The commissioner stressed that the need to address the challenge faced by students in Mathematics thereby improving their performance in the subject necessitated the Clinic, particularly since Mathematics is the bedrock of any nation’s development.
Oladunjoye noted that with the training of the teachers now, she expects them to come up with new ways, methodologies and materials of teaching Mathematics with a view to making Mathematics subject interesting and appealing to students in order to improve their performances in the subjects in WAEC and JAMB among other examinations.