EMA EMITS COLLEGE PHILIPPINES

(Formerly: Eastern Mindoro Institute of Technology & Sciences)

Del Pilar St.; Pinamalayan, Oriental Mindoro
Telefax No. (043) 284-3974

______________________________________________________________________________

MODULE Introduction in Teaching

1 Mathematics
Telefax No. (043) 284-3974

Intended Learning Outcomes:

At the end of this Module, you should be able to:
 discover the importance of Mathematics; and
 identify the roles of Mathematics in Philippine education;

Introduction

What is it about Mathematics that compels us to put so much emphasis and focus on
its learning?
Mathematics is one of the subjects most studied, taken up at the Pre-K level all the way to
college. The Philippine mathematics basic education curriculum has undergone several revisions
over the years. In 1983, the New Elementary School Curriculum (NESC) was implemented,
followed by the New Secondary Education Curriculum (better known as the Secondary
Education Development Program or SEDP Curriculum), which was launched in 1988. After
curricular reviews that began in 1995, the Department of Education, Culture and Sports (DECS,
now Department of Education) decided to adopt the Refined Basic Education Curriculum
(RBEC) in 2002.
Despite the many changes to the curriculum, the goals of mathematics education at the
basic education level remain more or less the same: “to provide opportunities for individuals to
develop skills and attitudes needed for effective participation in everyday living and prepare
them for further education and the world of work so that they make worthwhile contributions
to the society at large” (Pascua, 1993).
Mathematics, as we see it, has the following roles in Philippine Education: facilitating
participation in productive life activities, providing a way of making sense of the world, serving
as a means of communication and operating as a gateway to national progress.

Roles of Mathematics

1. Mathematics for facilitating participation in productive life activities

Everyone needs mathematics. Regardless of sex, culture, socio-economic status, religion or

educational background, all people have, one way or another, needed to apply some form of
mathematical knowledge in dealing with their day-to-day activities. One cannot deny the
practical uses of mathematics in, for example, making wise purchases, measuring distances,
finding locations, estimating expenses and anticipating future problems to find solutions early
enough, to name a few (Ogena and Tan, 2006).
 2. Mathematics as a way of making sense of the world

More than just a set of isolated facts and concepts, mathematics provides us with “ways of
knowing”, thinking and understanding (Bernardo, 1998). Doing mathematics requires logical
thought and trains students to think both critically and creatively. In school, students usually
encounter specific problems that apply to the topic at hand, in addition, the thought process that
goes into understanding the problem, differentiating what is essential from what is not, being
able to make connections among the given information to generate a solution and verifying its
accuracy is surely something that students can apply even in non-mathematical settings.
Mathematics provides students with the essential skills in reasoning, decision-making and
problem solving to help them make sense of many aspects of our rapidly changing world (FAPE,
1988). Further, it promotes self-reflection and develops one’s ability to face life’s problems
(Manuel, 1979). In short, mathematics is a means of empowerment and understanding that
everyone is entitled to.

3. Mathematics as a means of communication

Mathematics provides us with a powerful means of communication – an objective language

that allows us to express quantifiable relationships concisely. Through mathematics, we can
formulate representations to model and interpret both physical and social phenomena.
Mathematics is the unifying and integral thread that runs through the sciences (NRC, 1986),
facilitating the connection of ideas in an increasingly information and knowledge driven society
(Ogena and Tan, 2006).

4. Mathematics as a gateway for national progress

Since a country’s economic progress relies heavily on its progress in science and
engineering, this demands a strong foundation in mathematics (Pascua, 1993 and Ogena and Tan,
2006). Mathematics is seen as “an essential tool for intelligent participation in a technological
society” (FAPE, 1988).

In many countries, mathematics courses are seen to be “gatekeeper” courses that determine
one’s future success and acceptance into colleges and universities (Gates and Vistro-Yu, 2003;
The College Board, 2000, 1990). Such is not the case locally - Filipino students are not barred
from attending a good university directly on account of the lack of specific courses in their high
school transcript. In general, our students do not choose their own mathematics electives;
instead, most Philippine schools cover at least a standard set of mathematical courses required of
all graduates necessary to prepare them for life after basic education. In a country where only
about 19.1% of the population receives any education beyond that in the high school level (NSO,
2003), knowledge of mathematics courses offered at the basic education level can be thought of
as a “gatekeeper” for employability and a successful and productive citizenship.

On a national level, knowledge of mathematics is a valuable tool for social development and
global competitiveness in our changing world. As we develop the mathematical proficiency and
literacy of individual Filipino students, they, in turn, contribute to the skills, values and collective
intellectual resources of the Philippines, increasing our nation’s funds of knowledge.

Roles of Mathematics Intertwined

These roles are not disjoint from one another and more often than not, are intertwined and
complement one another. For the significant role it plays in our lives as Filipinos, mathematics is
indeed worthy of the focus and attention it receives in our curriculum. It is our hope that through
this framework, we can help educators enrich their students’ lives as they give them the gift of a
high quality mathematics education.
 NAME/COURSE: __________________________________
ACTIVITY SCORE: __________ RATING: ___________

“Once a person cheats in

exam, forever people will distrust him.”

ESSAY: (20 pts. each) NOTE: Explain your answers in 5-8 sentences only.

Criteria Used for Evaluating Written Work

Appropriateness 10 points
Clarity of exposition and argument. 7 points
Creativity of Written Work 3 points
TOTAL 20 points

1. Based on your own experiences, how much of an influence Math has on your everyday
life?

2. How can basic Math skills help you in your everyday living?

3. Explain this quotation by Bertrand Russell

“Mathematics takes us into the region of absolute necessity, to which not only the actual

word, but every possible word, must conform.”

Reference
http://www.sei.dost.gov.ph/images/downloads/publ/sei_mathbasic.pdf