The concern for the teaching of mathematics has been expressed by the National Council of teachers of mathematics. They have taken the lead in creating directions for reform and the implementation of reform in mathematics teaching.
These reforms are manifested not only in the curriculum standards that define what students should learn, but also in the way that mathematics should be taught to students.
As a result of the concern for mathematics in general, the revolution in the subject matter and the way it is taught has been on going. Various new topics have been introduced, new teaching methods have been explored and new evaluation techniques are being tried.
There are various assumptions that must be made if these changes are to be implemented. There must be changes in how teachers teach, what they teach, and how they evaluate students’ performance. If these changes are to be effective then teachers must see themselves as the agents of change. The changes needed in the teaching and learning of mathematics cannot occur in a vacuum. Teachers cannot change without the availability of the critical support and resources needed for change. The kinds of changes demanded by the standards call for methods of teaching and the utilization of curriculum resources that are different from those that teachers have been exposed.
The purpose of the unit.
The development of the unit will be rooted in these objectives:
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(a) to utilize the concepts gained from concepts in the seminar (Atmosphere and the Ocean) to generate links between mathematics and the content area.
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(b) Provide students with activities related to the topic, so that they can be involved in the teaching learning environment.
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(c) To provide concepts that are relevant to the students’ experiences yet laced with ideas so that meaningful concepts can be learned. d) To approach mathematical concepts from a more diverse and non traditional view point.
