1. ITLM TOPIC 3
CURRENT TRENDS & ISSUES IN
MATHEMATICS EDUCATION

2. OBJECTIVES
 Be aware and make a list of trends and issues related
to pedagogy of teaching in secondary math such as
problem solving, psychology of learning, assessment
and methods of teaching involving socialization
 Be aware and make a list of trends and issues such
as globalization, teacher training, community and
research which are related to math teaching
 Describe the importance to the trends that will affect
the country, the teacher and the students
 Know how to adapt to the situation under the change
in the current trends especially in teacher training in
secondary mathematics

3. CURRENT PRACTICE IN SCHOOLS
Mathematics education is essentially a
practical discipline, where the underlying goal
is always to promote better learning of
mathematics by students. Of course there are
many subtleties of what mathematics should
be learned and why, in whose interest is it that
students learn, how achievement is measured
etc, but the discipline of mathematics
educationis underpinned by a faith that a good
education in mathematics benefits both the
individual and society.

4. MATHEMATICS EDUCATION DISCIPLINE

5. VARIETY OF INSTRUCTIONAL METHOD
 to cultivate students’ abilities to
investigate, to make sense of, and to
construct meaning from new situations;
 to make and provide arguments for
conjectures; and
 to use a flexible set of strategies to solve
problems from both within and outside
mathematics

6. VARIETY OF INSTRUCTIONAL METHOD
 In addition to traditional teacher
demonstration and teacher-led discussion,
 greater opportunities should be provided for
small-group work,
 individual explorations,
 peer instruction, and
 whole class-discussion in which the teacher
serves as a moderator.

7. THE SHIFT OF TEACHER’S ROLE
 from dispensing information to facilitating
learning,
 from that of director to that of catalyst and
coach.

8. TECHNOLOGY-RICH CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENTS
 The most fundamental consequences of
changes in patterns of instruction is the
emergence of a new classroom dynamic in
which teachers and students become natural
partners in developing mathematical ideas
and solving mathematical problems.

9. DECREASED ATTENTION TO
 Rote memorization of facts and procedures
 Extended periods of individual seatwork
practicing routine tasks
 Instruction by teacher exposition
 Paper and pencil manipulative skill work
 The relegation of testing to an adjunct role
with the sole purpose of assigning grades

10. INCREASED ATTENTION TO
 The active involvement of students in
constructing and applying mathematical
ideas
 Problem solving as a means as well as a
goal of instruction
 Effective questioning techniques that
promote student interaction
 The use of a variety of instructional formats
 The use of calculators and computers as
tools for learning and doing mathematics

11. INCREASED ATTENTION TO
 Student communication of mathematical
ideas orally and in writing
 The establishment and application of
interrelatedness of mathematical topics
 The systematic maintenance of student
learning and embedding review in the
context of new topics and problem situation
 The assessment of learning as integral part
of instruction

12. PROBLEM SOLVING
 Use, with increasing confidence, problem-
solving approaches to investigate and
understand mathematical content;
 Apply integrated mathematical problem-solving
strategies to solve problems from within and
outside mathematics;
 Recognize and formulate problems from
situations within and outside mathematics;
 Apply the process of mathematical modeling to
real-world problem situations.