SECCIÓN IV CONDICIONES ESPECÍFICAS 4.1 Presentación de la oferta
5. CONCLUSIONES Y RECOMENDACIONES
MODULE 2
Unit 1
EDU 808 Mathematics Curriculum and Instructions in Secondary Schools
into an operational plan. Planning includes preview of a year’s work,
units that may be taught in a period of a week to a month and dailylesson. In this unit therefore, you will be exposed to:
(i) the basic meaning of a syllabus (ii) the meaning of scheme of work
(iii) professional roles of mathematics teacher on syllabus and scheme of work
(iv) how the mathematics teacher can draw scheme of work 2.0 OBJECTIVES
By the time you finish studying this units you should be able to:
(i) define and explain the meaning of a syllabus and a scheme of work
(ii) identify the roles of mathematics teachers in drawing a syllabus and a scheme of work
3.0 MAIN BODY 3.1 Study Approach
You are expected to get hold of a secondary school mathematics curriculum and study the arrangements of its contents. Try to observe
the main topics, contents, activities and materials contained in it.
3.2 SECONDARY SCHOOL MATHEMATICS SYLLABUS IN NIGERIA
A syllabus is defined as:
(i) a condensed outline or statement of the main points of a course of
study, springing up from the broad curriculum of the school
(Bello 1981, p.20).
(ii) a written summary in which information about all the main points
from all the subjects in the curriculum is presented (Robinson1980, p.42).
(iii) a concise written outline of a course of study; a list of items which have been written down to be taught and learnt from year to year, a blueprint enabling teachers to carry out a particular part
usually a formal part of the curriculum (Nwagu 1978, p.26).
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The teacher has certain roles to play in the implementation of the proposals contained in the syllabus. The professional roles/duties
include the following:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
the teacher should make a thorough study of the syllabus so as to have an adequate knowledge of what is to be taught.
the teacher should acquaint himself or herself with what the students have done in the previous class and the work the
students will do when they move on toe the next class. This step s
necessary because “in order for the current syllabus to be well
understood, the teacher must build upon the foundation of knowledge gained in the previous year and work towards preparing a good foundation for the students’ work in the next
class (Bello 1981, p.22).
the instructional and learning materials that would be
needed/required to achieve the objectives of a given syllabusshould be sought for by the teacher and used at the appropriate
time.
there should be modification of the syllabus whenever occasion
calls for such e.g. adjustment of the syllabus to community
resources. In other words, the syllabus should not be regarded as
a rigid handout to be studied and obeyed indiscriminately.
the syllabus should be broken into scheme of work. That is, the
teacher should make a clear and logical breakdown of the
syllabus yearly, termly and/or weekly topics.
evaluation of each stage of the syllabus is the responsibility of the teacher in order to ascertain two basic elements:
(a) Achievement of the stated objectives; and (b) The effectiveness of the teacher’s instruction.
3.2.1 Scheme of Work in Mathematics
A given syllabus is only a indication of content, and does not prescribe
specifically the order in which topics should be taught. It is from thesyllabus that the teacher will work a detailed plan indicating what he will do in each term, and then break it down even further and show what ground he will cover in each week of the term. A scheme of work is
therefore described/defined as follows:
1.
2.
it is a list of sub-topics or units drawn from the broad topics in the syllabus (Robinson 1980, p.46).
in a scheme of work, the broad outlines of the syllabus are
developed in much greater detail to show the topics the teacher
intends to deal with and in what order, what work will be given to
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EDU 808 Mathematics Curriculum and Instructions in Secondary Schools
the pupils in the form of exercises or other assignments, and what books and equipment will be used (Nwagu 1970, p.27).
3. it involves listing a series of topics to be taught in the course of a term in the order in which they are to be taught (Obanya 1980, p.
30).
Here, the content that is to be covered during the year is outlined. Since
in mathematics each new step depends on the thorough understanding of what he has done before, the content should be arranged in a logical sequence. We also consider what teaching techniques are to be needed so that teachers’ and pupil’s notes, workbooks, are acquired and roomsand timetables are well arranged. The way the programme may be evaluated is put into consideration. Whether there will be weekly or
monthly test is determined. In some schools, the scheme of work is prepared by the Head of Department himself or at a meeting of all members of mathematics department. The latter is likely to yield better
results.
In essence, a scheme of work is a clear statement of the work the teacher proposes to do in a given period of time. However, the teacher should not be afraid to deviate from the scheme of work should this become necessary. In other words, the scheme of work should be flexible so that there could be room for adding, deleting or rearranging the topic if there
is need for such.
As far as possible, an attempt should be made in the scheme of work to
indicate:
(a) the objectives of each topic;
(b) the instructional materials and methods/techniques to be used for the teaching of different topics;
(c)
the evaluation devices or techniques to be employed/used infinding out the attainment of the stated or stipulated objectives.
There are certain guidelines to be considered while drawing up a scheme of work – the guidelines include the following:
1.
2.
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the teacher must undertake a careful study of the prescribed syllabus so that he does not deviate from laid-down subject
requirements – the teacher should avoid the temptation either to
digress too far or overemphasise certain aspects of the syllabus.
The pupils’ previous experience should be taken into consideration.
the teacher should consider how long the term is and the number
of periods devoted to the subject. (i.e. time allocation).
3.
4.
the different periods or the year during which certain topics are to
be taught should be considered – for example, adjustment or
modification of the syllabus to community environment may be
necessary, taking into consideration available resources.
there should be taken into consideration the sequence of the topic e.g. the simple to complex, prerequisite learning and whole-to-
part, taking into consideration pupils’ ability or intellectual level(s).
3.2.2 Reasons Why Teachers of Mathematics Need to Draw Scheme of Work
A scheme of work is desirable because:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
it serves as a guide for the teacher to know how much he or she is expected to cover and then strive to cover it – that is, it serves as a useful record of a teacher’s forecast of the work to be covered in each week.
it helps the teacher to know when a topic is coming up and when
to gather the necessary instructional materials that would facilitate effective teaching of the topics.
it helps to guarantee some measure of continuity in pupils’
learning since each topic is suppose to relate to the learning of previous ones.
it serves as a basis of evaluation – this is, the teacher will base his evaluation of the pupils on the topics outlined in the scheme of work.
it affords the principal/head teacher and the school supervisors an idea of what the class has been doing.
in a case of change of teacher, the successor knows exactly how far the work has been covered and where he should start from.
4.0 CONCLUSION
In this unit basic concept of mathematics syllabus and a scheme of work
have been discussed. The students have been exposed to the techniques of drawing up a syllabus and a scheme of work with specific references to secondary school mathematics. The unit was concluded with different reasons why teachers of mathematics at the secondary schools should beknowledgeable about the syllabus and scheme of work operational
components.
5.0 SUMMARY
In this unit, you have leant the meanings of a syllabus and scheme of
work. You have also been exposed to the methods of drawing up a
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EDU 808 Mathematics Curriculum and Instructions in Secondary Schools
mathematics syllabus and a scheme or work. With these relevant
experience you are expected to be able to guide secondary school
teachers in the rudiments of mathematics syllabus and scheme or work.
6.0 TUTOR MARKED ASSIGNMENT 1.(a) What do you understand by the word ‘syllabus’?
(b) Discuss five professional duties a secondary school teacher should carry out to ensure that a given ‘syllabus’ is used to the
best advantage of the learners.
2.(a) What is a ‘scheme of work’?
(b) Discuss five reasons to justify the need to draw up a scheme of