ICT a logical adjunct to maths

EDUCATORS in Brunei yesterday stressed to The Brunei Times the importance of incorporating Information and Communications Technology (ICT) as aids in teaching mathematics so that students will understand and visualise topics better, alongside the traditional methods of teaching the subject.

Michael Yapp, 26, a teacher at Meragang Sixth Form Centre, told The Brunei Times that there "definitely" needed to be an incorporation of ICT in teaching mathematics.

"We teachers could use applets (softwares) to further explain certain things to students to help them understand better," he said, adding that using ICT could help students develop a deeper understanding of topics.

"Especially students who want to learn more about certain topic," said Yapp. "Apart from the classroom or the curriculum, ICT can help them through learning from credible websites."

He added that teachers could use the likes of Youtube to provide examples that some textbooks could not.

However, Yapp said that teachers needed to first learn how to use the ICT tools so they could then teach their students how to use them.

Erni Rosmaini Hj Munap, 25, who teaches at Paduka Seri Begawan Sultan Science College, said that applying ICT along with traditional methods of teaching mathematics can help students apply theorems and solve problems "practically".

"If these students want to become engineers, doctors or even pilots, we need to make mathematics more humanised through ICT, so they can apply what they have learned in the real world," she said.

Erni Rosmaini added that using ICT with traditional methods helps students understand and visualise math problems better.

"Right now, I see that the use of ICT in schools is not really being implemented because resources are limited," she said.

Naziah Sahat, 27, from Berakas Secondary School, said that using ICT in teaching mathematics to youngsters had the advantage of being applicable to gifted as well as slow-learners.

"Using ICT along with traditional methods of using intuition and logic helps slow learners because they can see and rationally think through problems presented through visual aids delivered through ICT.

"At the same time, it is also good for gifted students because they, too, can solve mathematical problems more easily through the visuals that can be provided by ICT," Naziah said.

The Brunei Times