KOTA SAMARAHAN: Malaysian children have no option but to master mathematics and science in line with the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) to stay relevant and competitive.
Hence, teachers are urged to transform the learning and teaching delivery in sync with leveraging technology competency and data analytical skills.
A recent survey by Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas), found that most mathematics teachers in Sarawak have shifted their learning and teaching delivery approach by using Big Data
concepts.
The survey focused on mathematical teaching strategies, which consisted of behavioural, cognitive and effective strategies.
“Behavioural strategies focus on handling students’ behaviour during classroom teaching and learning. Cognitive strategies help to gauge students’ cognitive ability in learning mathematics,” the university said in a statement.
Highlighting on the cause that influenced teachers to shift their teaching approach, the survey noted that most teachers acknowledged the fundamental of mathematical cognition in learning sessions.
“When teachers use Big Data concepts to teach mathematics, students will learn how important it is to master mathematical cognition which is very useful to approach big data analytics in the future,” the statement stated.
Mathematical cognition is fundamental for student to be able to think analytically and solve problems logically.
“Analytical thinking is crucial when it comes to reasoning, problem-solving and decision-making.
“Problem-solving such as finding solutions to numerous mathematical problems improves students’ cognitive ability.
“Logic is required in forming conclusions and making inferences from facts such as why is the method to solve this mathematical problem done in a certain way.
“Lastly, making decisions involves higher order thinking skills (HOTS) by sorting out the pros and cons each time a decision is made.”
The survey also revealed that teachers were mindful of the digital economy and had attempted to guide their students on correlation between big data analytics and mathematical cognition.
It was participated by 21 female teachers and 17 male teachers with 68.4 percent teaching in rural schools and the rest in urban schools.
