'Exam pressure should teach Math by practicing questions and solving sample problems more than encouraging creativity'

That is one of the realities happening in the teaching of Applied Mathematics in general schools, according to a principal from a high-quality school in Hanoi.

At the workshop “Teaching Applied Mathematics in High Schools: Practice and Solutions” organized by the Institute of STEM Application Research and Human Resources Training in collaboration with Edufly Education Technology Joint Stock Company, Mr. Nguyen Anh Tuan, Principal of Chu Van An Secondary School (Viet Hung Ward, Hanoi) said that one of the important things that many teachers forget before teaching Mathematics is to make students and parents have a correct understanding of the role of the subject.

“When I was a math teacher, before I started teaching, my first question to students was what is the purpose of learning math? They gave many answers such as calculating, measuring, counting money... From there, they gradually determined the focus and had a larger direction for the subject. They understood that learning math is to learn other fields,” said Mr. Tuan.

According to Mr. Tuan, it is possible to integrate Math with Natural Sciences, Information Technology, Economics , Arts... or include applied topics such as personal finance, environment, sports, basic construction, data science, AI... "That awareness will help students approach Math with a proactive and enthusiastic attitude", Mr. Tuan said. According to him, teaching through practical activities is very important and makes Math lessons not boring.

Mr. Nguyen Anh Tuan, Principal of Chu Van An Secondary School (Viet Hung Ward, Hanoi ) spoke at the workshop. Photo: Thanh Hung

However, according to him, teachers face many challenges in the process of implementing applied mathematics teaching at school. The pressure of exams leads to the teaching of “practice questions” and “sample solutions” being focused more than encouraging creativity. “This is the reality. Because in the end, teachers still have to answer parents about whether their children get high scores or not,” said Mr. Tuan.

Along with that, according to Mr. Tuan, balancing the objectives in constructing test questions is also a difficulty. “Exercises and test questions on practical applications are sometimes 'forced', many situations are not close to reality. Innovation in testing and assessment in general is still slow, not synchronized with program innovation,” Mr. Tuan said.

In addition, many teachers still have old, academic teaching methods, making Math dry and less relevant to real life. “Due to the teaching methods and lack of encouragement, some students are afraid of Math, tending to memorize formulas instead of understanding the essence,” said Mr. Tuan.

According to Mr. Tuan, many students also lack experience with real-life situations. “Students often focus on theoretical problems, and are afraid to face “strange” problems with applied elements. This is also the case for teachers, because teaching like that is very easy and quick; while finding new, practical examples of applied math is often difficult,” Mr. Tuan said.

According to the principal, the important solution to teach Applied Mathematics in schools more effectively is training, fostering, and coaching to improve teachers' capacity. In particular, innovation in testing and evaluation is also needed.

Prof. Dr. Tran Van Tan, Head of Geometry Department, Faculty of Mathematics and Information Technology, Hanoi National University of Education, spoke at the conference. Photo: Thanh Hung

Prof. Dr. Tran Van Tan (Head of Geometry Department, Faculty of Mathematics - Information Technology, Hanoi National University of Education; editor of high school mathematics textbooks) said that teaching about the application of mathematics is shown through the following contents: Leading from practice to generate mathematical problems; From practice to concepts and theorems; Examples of practical applications to reinforce concepts and theorems; Experiential activities to reinforce unit knowledge and general knowledge.

However, Professor Tan also noted that in math problems or exam questions, the construction of situations "connected to reality" must be extremely careful. "We must respect the laws that have been established by science, and limit the arbitrary 'creation' of unfounded laws," Mr. Tan said.

According to Mr. Tan, a lesson or an exam does not necessarily have to contain many “realistic” questions. “This is following a trend. When the simulation of reality only stops at the linguistic shell and lacks scientific accuracy and rationality, it can easily cause misunderstandings and distort the way students perceive the world. In education, arbitrarily imposing a mathematical rule on a social or natural phenomenon can cause students to form a distorted perception of the nature and operation of science,” Mr. Tan noted.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/ap-luc-thi-cu-nen-day-toan-luyen-de-giai-mau-nhieu-hon-khuyen-khich-sang-tao-2446973.html