MODULE 1: CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK OF

MATHEMATICS EDUCATION
TIME FRAME: 3 hour s

OBJECTIVES:
At the end of this unit, the students are expected to:
1. Defined the concept of mathematics.
2. Explain the goals in Mathematics education.
3. Discuss how the salient features of critical and analytical thinking skills are honed in
the classroom.

CONTENT

1. Definition of Mathematics

As an aspiring Mathematics teacher, how often do you think of the word “Mathematics”? What
comes in your mind when you think or hear of it? What is it in Mathematics that is important to
us?

Here are some statements on how Mathematics is defined or described:

 Mathematics is “the study of quantity, form, arrangement, and magnitude; especially, the
methods and process for disclosing, by rigorous concepts and self-consistent symbols, the
properties and relations of quantities and magnitudes, whether in the abstract, pure
mathematics, or in their practical connections, applied mathematics” (Funk & Wagnalls,
1968; cited in Rock & Brumbaugh, 2013).

 Mathematics is the abstract key which turns the lock of the physical universe.

 Carl Friedrich Gauss described mathematics as the queen science.

 Albert Einstein stated that “as far the laws of mathematics refer to reality, they are not
certain; and as far they are certain, they do not refer to reality”.

 Mathematics is not about number, but about life. It is about the world in which we live. It
is about ideas. And, far from being dull and sterile as it is so often portrayed, it is full of
creativity (Devlin, 2000, cited in Pound and Lee, 2015).

Question:
1. What is mathematics for you?
2. What is it in mathematics that is important to us nowadays?

MATHEMATICS EDUCATION IN THE PHILIPPINES

Mathematics teaching today is challenging due to several significant issues. First,

teachers often lack the necessary depth of understanding in mathematics content, as seen in
misconceptions like believing that dividing by zero results in zero. This inadequate content mastery
is compounded by poor preparation in identifying effective teaching strategies suited to different
student groups. Many mathematics teachers struggle to match instructional levels with students'
abilities, either teaching too basic or too advanced skills. Additionally, they face difficulties in
implementing general learning strategies like cooperative learning and managing students during
such activities. Beyond these challenges, mathematics teachers are also expected to demonstrate
positive attitudes, encourage students, and engage in continuous professional development.
 In sum, Mathematics teachers are tested by the following:

1. The amount and depth of content in mathematics that is available for them to learn so that they
could teach good and correct mathematics to students;

2. The varied cognitive backgrounds of students requiring a wide range of pedagogical

approaches to learning mathematics;

3. The unpredictability of students’ contexts and behavior these days that require teachers
to be armed with multiple ideas for managing students, class behavior and resources;

4. The existence of various types of technologies and their rapid advancements;

5. The perceived disconnect between school mathematics and everyday life;

6. Their role as models of positive values and attitudes, which would carry students far in
their lives and careers;

7. The need to continuously develop themselves in the teaching profession.

ACTIVITY NO. 1

Teacher Nelson Teaches Math Mr. Nelson Tuazon is a neophyte teacher in Holy Trinity Academy. He
specializes in Mathematics. He is excited to start his Math class with the Grade 9 – Mahogany section.
He started scribbling some engaging activities he thought would catch the interest of the students. Can
you guess some engaging activities he can include in his plan?

Direction: Below this instruction, write some suggestions about engaging activities which Mr. Tuazon
may include in his plan. Write on the space provided.

1. _____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
2. _____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
3. _____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
4. Do you think your suggestions would catch the interest of the students? Why? Write your reason
below?
2. Goals of Mathematics

The Mathematics Framework for Philippine Basic Education developed by the Science Education
Institute, Department of Science and Technology (SEI-DOST) and the Philippines Council of
Mathematics Teacher Education (MATHTED), Inc., provides a clear concept of the goals of
mathematics education in the Philippines
Accordingly, the goal of mathematics education is to make citizens mathematically empowered.
For the Filipino students, the goal of Mathematical Empowerment mainly revolves on the pursuit
to develop critical and analytical thinking skills.

Cr itical and analytical thinking skills encompasses the following:

1. Problem solving – this skill includes the

following abilities:
 recognize that a problem exists
 identify or define the problem
 propose ways to solve the problem
 act on the proposed solutions
 determine that the problem is solved.

2. Communicating mathematically – the ability to communicate

mathematical ideas using the precise language of mathematics (vocabulary
and symbols of mathematics, mathematical structures and relationships).

3. Reasoning – the ability to able to make reasonable and logical statements

through deductive and inductive reasoning, and the use of formal
mathematical proofs.

4. Making mathematical connections – the ability to extend one’s thinking in

order to connect mathematical ideas to other areas of study or aspects of life.
This includes the ability to use a variety of representations – graphical
numerical, algebraic, verbal and physical – of mathematical ideas and apply
concepts and procedures of mathematics to other disciplines or areas of study
and aspects of life.

Based on the framework in Figure 1, the three salient factors that help develop critical and analytical
thinking skills are the following:

1. Mathematical content – the K-12 Basic Education Curriculum, specific

to mathematics, aims to develop mathematical knowledge in the
following strands: Numbers and Number Sense; Measurement; Geometry;
Patterns and Algebra; and Statistics and Probability. All topics in
mathematics are centered on these strands from K-10.

2. Cognitive demands – the following skills are deemed to be

developed in the curriculum:
 Visualizing – use one’s creativity and imagination to create
images, pictures, and other means to represent and
understand mathematical concepts.
 Knowing – understand concepts, memorizing and
recalling facts and procedures.
 Computing – the ability to estimate, compute, calculate,
use correct algorithms and determine the final results.
 Solving – understand the problem, plan and execute
strategies to solve the problem and evaluate the results of
the solution.
 Applying – recognize situations that call for the use of
mathematics concepts and procedures and to use these
concepts and procedures judiciously.
 Proving – verify statements, justify steps taken produce proofs
of important theories, hypothesize and generalize (make
conjectures and finding ways to prove or disprove these
 conjectures. Reasoning and proving go together – proving
enhances one’s reasoning skills and conversely, reasoning
skills are need to prove a result.

3. Cognitive values – learners do not only learn knowledge and skills, but
also values. These cognitive values are essential things that students
have to possess, which they use not just in mathematics classroom, but
also in real life setting.