Teaching and Learning Issues in Mathematics in the Context of Nepal
Abstract
In this paper, we discussed major issues of mathematics teaching and
learning in Nepal. The issues coming from theories such as social and
radical constructivism suggest that teachers are not trained to use such
approach in teaching mathematics, and there is a lack of teaching aids and
materials and technological tools. The issues related to social aspects are
gender issues, language issues, social justice issues, and issues related to
the achievement gap. The cultural issues are related to the diversity of
language and ethnicity. The issues related to political aspects are equity
and access, economic status, pedagogical choice, and professional
organizations and unions. The issues related to technology include the
technological skills, use of technology, and affordance. Finally, we suggest
that all the stakeholders should pay attention to resolving these issues by
improving the curriculum, training teachers, resourcing the classroom with
locally made and new technological tools.
Keywords
References
- Anastasiadou, S. (2008). The effects of representational systems on the learning of statistics between Greek primary school students and immigrants. In J. F. Matos, P. Valero & K. Yasukawa (Eds.), Proceedings of the Fifth International Mathematics Education and Society Conference (pp. 167 – 176). Lisbon: Centro de Investigaçãoem Educação, Universidade de Lisbon & Department of Education, Learning and Philosophy, Aalborg University.
- Bal, B. K., & Mishra, M. (2012). E-Proceedings of national conference on use of ICT in rural Nepal: Influences of technology. Online accessed on November 12, 2016 from: http://ltk.org.np/downloads/e-proceedings_ltk_conf_ICT_use_rural_Nepal_March_22_23_2012.pdf
- Belbase, S. (2014). Radical versus social constructivism: An epistemological-pedagogical dilemma. International Journal of Contemporary Educational Research, 1(2), 98-112.
- Belbase, S. (2016). Construction of mathematical ‘self’ as an eigenbehavior. In R. K. Dhakal, B. P. Pant, K. D. Khadka, & A. Manandhar (Eds.), Program and abstracts: First International Conference on Transformative Education Research and Sustainable Development (pp. 145 – 146). Dhulikhel, Nepal: Kathmandu University School of Education.
- Bhatta, S. D. (2008). Tackling the problems of quality and disparity in Nepal’s school education: The OLPC model. Studies in Nepali History and Society, 13(1), 17-48.
- Board of Studies New South Wales. (2007). Mathematics life skill course. Sydney, Australia: The Author.
- Burton, L. (1999). Learning mathematics: From hierarchies to network. Routledge, Falmers.
- Cheung, A., & Slavin, R. E. (2011). The effectiveness of education technology for enhancing mathematics achievement: A meta-analysis. Retrieved on February, 8th, 2013, from http://www.bestevidence.org/mathematics/tech/tech.html
Details
Primary Language
English
Subjects
Studies on Education
Journal Section
Research Article
Publication Date
May 20, 2017
Submission Date
November 22, 2016
Acceptance Date
March 2, 2017
Published in Issue
Year 2017 Volume: 2 Number: 1