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Exploring resources and materials for the instruction of low-achieving mathematics students in an urban school district of Western Massachusetts
Abstract
The dissertation is based on the exploration of resources and materials for the instruction of low achieving mathematics students in an urban school district of Western Massachusetts. Mathematics is one of the four most important subjects in the educational curriculum at the junior high school level. Due to the educational revolution of the 1950s and 1960s, new and better mathematics are being taught in the schools of today. However, only the more able students have been able to glean from the curriculum. The low achiever in mathematics finds little that meets his or her needs. Due to repeated failure in the attempt to learn mathematics, the low achiever formulates a low self-esteem and experiences a psychological dropout. The purpose of this research study was to explore methods and materials with the hope of finding resources and materials to teach mathematics to low achieving mathematics students. The researcher contends that if low achieving mathematics students were taught mathematics by using concrete objects and manipulative devices, instead of conventional textbook and lecture methods, low achievers tend to learn faster, retain more, and achieve higher as a result. To test this theory, the researcher taught a small group of low achievers in mathematics for six weeks using concrete objects and manipulative devices to teach and demonstrate various mathematical concepts. He also had the students use calculators as computational aids. He found that the students demonstrated greater interest in mathematics, increased attention span, and better performance. A teachers' handbook was developed.
Subject Area
Curriculum development|Elementary education|Industrial arts education|Mathematics education
Recommended Citation
Colgram, Elisha Amando, "Exploring resources and materials for the instruction of low-achieving mathematics students in an urban school district of Western Massachusetts" (1990). Doctoral Dissertations Available from Proquest. AAI9110118.
https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations/AAI9110118