ASSIGNMENT

Ways for stimulating and maintaining interest in learning mathematics.

Submitted To,
Shemi Mole.A Submitted By,
Arya Mohan
Mathematics
Reg.No. 13375004
MCTE Sooranadu












INDEX

Sl No Content Page No.


1

2

3


4

5












Introduction

Definitions

How to develop and maintain
Interest in mathematics

Conclusion

Reference

1

2


3-5

6

7











1
Introduction

One of the greatest problems in education is how to arouse interest of the students.
When students taken interest in the activity or experience of the lesson of the problem
inattentiveness will be solved by itself. Interest is considered a powerful Detector
inspirer and motivation in the learning process.
If the students has to been taught properly, in natural curiosity should be awakened
among the students. The awaking of curiosity would create interest in them would develop
their attention towards the subjects.
Interest and motivate in which serve an important influences in producing both
activities and attitudes that are most favorable for learning. Strong interest in mathematics
tends to produce a positive attitude towards mathematics and such an attitude would in turn
enhands the desire to learn mathematics in a more productive way. Thus the development















2
Definitions

A tendencies to seek out an activity or subject, or a tendency to choose it rather than some
alternative. Cronbach (1949).
An interest is tendency to become absorbed in an experience and to continue it Vingham.
Interest is an indeterminate indicator of success.-Strong
Interest as favourable attitude towards object James.M.Sawhrey and Charles.W.Telford.



















3
How to develop and maintain interest in mathematics?
A mathematics teacher should be well versed with the means and techniques of
arousing and stimulating interest in mathematics. Some of the devices are discussed below.
However, a teacher can always device techniques which are most appropriate his own
students.
Element of novelty: Students become interested in thinks which are new and existing. The
possession of background information related to the new work tends to intensify the interest;
novelty is more compelling that familiarity. The mathematics learning should arouse the
curiosity of these students; should satisfy their thirst for knowledge and should help in
appreciating the beauty of mathematics. The teacher has to arrange the mathematics
activities in a manner most suitable for the students level of understanding.
Ensuring the students understandings: Inability to understand makes the students restless
and listless leading the general loss of interests. Students tend to remain interested in those
things which they understand well and which they can do most successfully. A responsible
degree of competence should be ensured keeping in mind the nature of the content presented
and the capacity of the students to understand.
Intellectual challenge: The mathematical work presented should not be too simple. It
should present a continual intellectual challenge to the students, devoid of drudgery and
boredom. This is possible by organizing the mathematical activities at a level of difficulty
appropriate to the intellectual maturity of the students.
Improving problem-solving ability: Genuine interest in mathematics probably depends
upon the problem solving aspect of the subject. Mathematics teaching presents the students
with an abundance of problem every day. These problems equip the students with modes of
thought and techniques which enable them to solve the problems successfully. Each
successful solution provides the student with a sense of achievement, a feeling of satisfaction
and joy. This could act as a driving force to seek similar experiences, pursuing tasks of the
same kind. Therefore, the mathematics teacher should plan problems with care and should
make sure that the students are able to solve them successfully so that the student gets the
positive reinforcement to proceed further.
Use of incentives: Incentives such as mark, rewards of various kinds may serve to build
motives or inner drives and thus promote genuine interest in mathematics. However, use of
incentives does not guarantee this. They should not be used indiscriminately or
thoughtlessly. Unless used judiciously, they can do more harm than good. The success of
the use of such devices depends largely upon the kinds of incentives used and the ways in
which they are used. A teacher can make use of devices such as mathematical games and
contents, tricks, puzzles, and other recreations, multisensory aids, projects, information about
the application, values and utility of mathematics, historical notes on mathematics etc. as
incentives.
4
Emphasising the practical application of mathematics: The practical application of
mathematics in daily life situations and real situations provides an important means of
stimulating interest. Many topics that the students learn in high school mathematics have
immediate relevance for solving problems that arise in daily life. For example, while
teaching topics such as simple interest, compound interest, recurring deposit, discount,
percentage, stocks and shares, direct and indirect variations, mensuration etc., the teachers
should not fail to stress their importance from this point of view. The mathematical
principles help the students in understanding and interpreting laws of nature and
environments. This knowledge also could sustain the interest of the students.
Empasising the use of mathematics in the study of other subjects: In one way or another
mathematics forms the basis of the study of many of the school subjects as well as pursing
higher education in many professional courses such as Engineering, Genetics, Computer
science, Information Technology, Bio-informatics and so on. The application of mathematics
is not limited to physical sciences, but has important bearing upon the biological and social
sciences as well. The teacher should make use of this relationship of mathematics with other
subjects in arousing the interest of the students in the study of mathematics. This can be
achieved by selecting relevant problems and examples from other subjects while teaching
related topics in mathematics.
Use of audiovisual aids and practical work: Mathematics teaching can be made more
interesting through a variety of sensory experience than through mere talk and chalk method.
The use of audiovisual aids provide a variety of sensory experiences which will help in
making abstract mathematical concepts concrete and meaningful. Moreover, it facilitates
better understanding of the subjects and thereby makes it more interesting. It is desirable to
use experiments and laboratory work to verify mathematical truths and discover
mathematical laws and principles. It arouses the intellectual curiosity of the students and
helps to maintain interest in the subject.
Using mathematics for fun and recreation: Mathematics provides enough opportunities
for fun and recreation. This can be used as an effective means of stimulating interest in
mathematics. Mathematical games and puzzles serve as interesting setting for mathematical
principles. But care should be taken to see that they do not present destroyed ideas of the
nature of mathematics. Mathematics clubs are also forums where interesting learning can
take place through fun filled activities.
References to historical development of the mathematical concepts: The teacher can use
historical anecdotes relating to the development of mathematical concepts and ideas as a
device for stimulating interest among the students. The life history of mathematicians, the
painstaking efforts taken by the mathematicians to discover mathematical facts, and the
patience and perseverance exhibited by the mathematicians in their pursuit for search for
mathematical truths can be appealing for the students to pursue their mathematics learning
with interest and enthusiasm. A resourceful teacher can think of many more such devices
5
which are especially suitable for the students whom he teacher. However, selection of the
devices should be guided by the level of achievement, the intellectual maturity of the students
as well as attitude and aptitude of the students. Above all, the teacher himself should be
highly motivated to teach mathematics with a high level of interest in the subject. Only such
teachers could inculcate interest in the students and enthuse them to learn.
Arranging for field work and field trip: Field work and field trips are two important
techniques for stimulating interest. Both field work and field trip initiate the students to the
real world and provide first hand experiences in the practical application of mathematics
learning. A teacher, wherever possible, could make use of these techniques for arousing
interest in mathematics.
It is a well known fact that students will work most diligently and effectively at tasks in
which they are genuinely interested. Therefore, one of the important tasks of the teacher of
mathematics is to create and maintain interest among his students. Perhaps, it is one of the
most difficult problems encountered by the teachers of mathematics.
The students will show greater enthusiasm for the work for which they are highly
motivated. Thus the motivation has two aspects: (1) creating or arousing interest (2) maintain
the interest even after the novelty of the work fades away.
Interests are motives which serve as important influences in producing both activities
and attitudes that are most favorable for learning. A strong interest in mathematics tends to
produce a positive attitude towards mathematics and such an attitude would in term enhance
the desire to learn mathematics in a more productive way. Thus the development and
maintenances of interest in mathematics becomes an important concern of the mathematics
teacher.










6
Conclusion

A mathematics teacher should well versed with means and techniques of arousing and
maintaining interest in mathematics. The students to know the importance in mathematics.
The students to know the importance in useful learning of mathematics in daily life, higher
studies and many other situations. Correlating the mathematics with other subjects. The
students will be interested in mathematics. They become not fear the mathematics and they
have easily handle with the mathematics problems. In a mathematics teacher use different
method of teaching and use the audio-visual learning aids on the classroom must be effective
and interesting to students. Finally a mathematics teacher try to above methods the students
are more interested in mathematics. The interest is an in terminate success to always.

















7

Reference

1. Mathematics education : Subair P.P
2. Teaching Mathematics: Anice James