ESSENCE - International Journal for Environmental Rehabilitation and Conservation
Poonam Aggarwal/Vol. VII [1] 2016/50 – 53
Volume VII: No. 1 2016 [50 – 53]
Defects in the present day teaching mathematics in schools and their possible
remedies
Aggarwal, Poonam
Received: February 19, 2016  Accepted: March 09, 2016  Online: June 30, 2016
Abstract
Mathematics is a very important and interesting
subject because it is useful in daily life; it brings
logical, abstract and creative thinking in learners.
It is necessary for the intellectual development of
the students. In ancient era mathematics play a
very important role as a subject. In present,
mathematics is more closely related to our daily
life. The study of mathematics demands hard
work from the learner. Therefore, a student of
mathematics understands the importance of hard
work and he has a positive attitude towards more
and more exercise. But in the present time
teaching of mathematics has many defects so that
students are getting scared from it or feeling
bored in teaching – learning of mathematics. We
have admitted that present day teaching
mathematics is not up to satisfaction (James,
2005)
Keywords: Defects | teaching mathematics |
remedies
For correspondence:
J.V. Jain College, Saharanpur, India
Email: poonamaggarwal838@gmail.com
[ISSN 0975 - 6272]
[www.essence-journal.com]
i.e. the present day teaching of mathematics is far
from being satisfactory. Everybody has a
complaint against the teaching mathematics.
Students and parents complains that the
methodology adopted for teaching mathematics is
not right (Clawson, 2004). It is dull, boring,
difficult and useless from the point of view of
students or learners. To get rid of these problems
we have to find the defects of teaching of
mathematics and their remedies.
Introduction
Mathematics is very important subject. The
meaning of the word mathematics is – the science
in which calculations are prime. Mathematics is
the science of numbers, word, sign, etc. with
which we can know about direction and space
(Kulshreshtha, 2011). Mathematics has originated
from numbers and number system is a special
field of it, by which other branches of
mathematics are developed. In ancient era
mathematics play a very important role as a
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 Poonam Aggarwal/Vol. VII [1] 2016/50 – 53
subject. In present, mathematics is more closely
related to our daily life ( Bishnoi 2012). The
study of mathematics demands hard work from
the learner. Therefore, a student of mathematics
understands the importance of hard work and he
has a positive attitude towards more and more
exercise (Yadav 2005). Mathematics, it is widely
understood, plays a key role in shaping how
individuals deals with the various spheres private,
social and civil life. Yet today, as in the past,
many students struggle with mathematics and
become disaffected as they continually confront
obstacles to engagement (Anthony and Walshaw
2009). But in the present time teaching of
mathematics has many defects so that students are
getting scared from it or feeling bored in teaching
– learning of mathematics. The present day
teaching of mathematics is far from being
satisfactory. Everybody has a complaint against
the teaching mathematics. It is dull, boring,
difficult and useless from the point of view of
students or learners. To get rid of these problems
we have to find the defects of teaching of
mathematics and their remedies.
Defects in teaching learning process of
mathematics
There are so many defects in teaching learning
process of mathematics which are as follows-
1) Lack of self confidence and patience makes
a mathematics teacher irritative in nature
and it costs bad influence on the children.
2) Lack of subject knowledge, puts fear in the
wind of tends “that tended him to commit
repeatedly mistakes”.
3) Improper knowledge of child psychology. If
a mathematics teacher does not have
knowledge of child psychology so he fails
in making students able to understand the
subject.
4) Lack of knowledge of effective teaching
methods like-analysis, synthesis methods,
project and laboratory methods, problem
solving methods.
5) Lack of high decision power, courage,
positive attitude, personality and feeling of
cooperation.
6) Injustice and unsocial behaviour of the
teacher.
7) Discrimination of students on the basis of
rich or poor, weak or intelligent, low or high
and familiar or not familiar.
8) Lack of justice loving quality and
personality of teacher make students not to
make consider him ideal.
9) Lack of motivational and inspirational
skills.
10) Lack of attitude towards teaching of
mathematics.
11) Improper use of evaluation techniques.
Crude methods of assessment that
encourage perception of mathematics as
mechanical computation.
12) Teachers’ salary- teachers’ economic
position is not good. He remains worried;
and a worried teacher cannot give his best to
the learners. He is frustrated, disconnected
and half hearted worker, these hard word
days, he must be suitably paid.
13) The vocabulary used includes too many
words which are not part of everyday
language of the student (Damerow,
Dunkley, Nebres, and Werry 2005).
14) A sense of fear and failure regarding
mathematics among a majority of children.
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15) A curriculum that disappoints both talented
minority as well as the non participating
majority at the same time.
16) Lack of teacher preparation and support in
the teaching of mathematics (NCERT,
2006).
17) The text books in mathematics are based
mostly upon the traditional methods of
teaching. So it is quick hard for students to
understand the subject properly.
18) The books are full of misprints not only in
the settings of problems but also in answers.
19) The syllabus is lengthy and it is not possible
to finish the syllabus within the time
prescribed by the board. That’s why
everything is done in haste, there is no time
to think, to mediate about any matter.
20) The difficulty of medium of instructions has
also been affecting the efficiency in
teaching (Aggarwal 2006).
21) Frequent and uncoordinated changes in
curriculum have also lead to big gaps in
mathematics achievement in different
school systems. When the revised syllabus
is introduced in any standard
simultaneously the student of higher classes
feel difficulty in understanding because they
have not studied some topics new
introduced in lower classes.
Remedial measures
With the help of following remedial measures we
get rid off from the defects of teaching of
mathematics
1) A mathematics teacher must have self
confidence. Patience and self confidence
makes a mathematics teacher able to solve
the problems of his students in very
efficient manner (Sunetha, Rao and Rao
2005).
2) A mathematics teacher should be creative
and imaginative.
3) Personality of a teacher should be good
because personality of teacher influences
directly and indirectly to the students.
4) A mathematics teacher should have full and
proper knowledge of his subject. Every
problem should be introduced to the
students logically.
5) A teacher should have the knowledge to
judge individual differences because every
student is different in reading, writing,
understanding and work speed.
6) A teacher should use proper teaching
methods, so that students may get the
opportunity of learning by doing and their
knowledge can be more permanent and
solid
7) A teacher should give priority to
experimental work so that students may be
habitual of learning by self doing.
8) A mathematics teacher should inspire and
motivate the students to practice work
through example and to understand the
basic concept of the formulae.
9) A good teacher should possess high
decision power, habit to accept his
weakness, creativity, positive attitude and
some social qualities.
10) A teacher should behave with all the
students equally. His should be impartial
with all students.
11) A good teacher should develop the feeling
of cooperation and competition in students.
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12) Proper mathematical laboratory should
provide to students so that they can use
apparatus and can learn by doing.
13) Classroom atmosphere should charge with
freedom and encouragement. The emphasis
should be on understanding liking and
interest.
14) A teacher should understand the psychology
of students so that he can teach and make
them understand by giving different
examples on the basis of capacity and
mental level of students.
15) A change in the syllabus so as to exclude
those topics which are beyond the
comprehension of the students and which
are discovered by actual life and are
included only for their disciplinary value
should be effected (Aggarwal, 2006).
16) There should be libraries, books on ‘how to
teach mathematics’ should be placed for
teachers as well as the students to study.
17) For forming a basis of mathematics for
higher mathematics, we should think about
the capacity, capability and interests of the
child to be taught.
18) The syllabus should be child centred. The
child’s taste, ability and power of
comprehension should be taken into
consideration.
19) The curriculum should have topics in
syllabus, which are useful for the future
citizens of our nation and those topics
should be easily understood by students.
20) The medium of instruction should be easy
so that a student can understand the
language of the question set to them.
By adopting these remedial measures, the
teaching of mathematics can become more
understanding.
References
Aggarwal, S. M. (2006): A course in Teaching of
Modern Mathematics, New Delhi: Dhanpat
Rai Publishing Company.
Anthony, G. and Walshaw, M. (2009):
Characteristics of effective teaching of
mathematics: A view from the west,
Journal of Mathematics Education, Vol.
2(2), 147-164.
Bishnoi, U. (2012): Teaching of Mathematics.
Meerut:R-Lall Book Depot.
Clawson, C. C. (2004): Mathematical Sorcery.
India: Viva Books.
Damerow, P.; Dunkley, M. E., Nebres, B. F. and
Werry, J.B. (1984): Mathematics for All. 5th
international congress on mathematical
education, UNESCO.
James, A. (2005): Teaching of mathematics,
Hyderabad: Neelkamal Publications.
Kulshreshtha, A. K. (2014): Teaching of
Mathematics. Meerut:R-Lall Book Depot.
NCERT (2006): Position paper National focus
group on teaching of Mathematics, New
Delhi: NCERT Publication.
Sidhu, K. S. (2003): The teaching of
Mathematics, New Delhi: Streling
Publishing Private limited.
Suneetha, E.; Rao, R. S.; and Rao, D. B. (2005):
Methods of teaching Mathematics, New
Delhi: Discovery Publishing House.
Yadav, S. (2005). Teaching of Mathematics,
Agra: Vinod Pustak Mandir.
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