Improving Pupil skills in Solving Math Problems among Grade Six Pupils at Rosario West Central School

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

Problem-solving plays an important role in Mathematics and should have a prominent role in the mathematics education of K-12 students. However, knowing how to incorporate problem-solving meaningfully into the mathematics curriculum is not necessarily obvious to mathematics teachers. It is a major part of Mathematics, the sum, and substance of our discipline and to reduce the disciple to the set of exercises and skills devoid of the problem is misrepresenting mathematics as a discipline and shortchanging the students. It is in the curriculum to allow students to develop the art of solving an essential to understanding and appreciating Mathematics that must be an instructional goal of every Mathematics teacher.

METHODS

The descriptive quantitative Method was employed by the researcher. The Pre -Test was administered to identify the level of the solving problem skills in Mathematics of the Grade six pupils at Rosario West Central School. Random Sampling was used to determine the respondents of the study which was equivalent to 50 respondents. The result was item analyzed and interpreted.

RESULTS

Through the different statistical data used, it came out that the test is valid since it covers all the prescribed skills and activities spelled out in the curriculum guide, and reliable since the test obtained by the sampled group is consistent with the paralleled test score. Through the study, it turns out that the Grade Six pupils of Rosario West Central School have difficulty in Solving Math problems. And mostly it is caused by numerous factors an improved performance of the pupils in solving word problems were noted after the Pre-Test. Several measures were applied to the pupils with difficulty in solving Math problems.

DISCUSSIONS

The study is very limited in nature; however, its findings are useful to some teachers experiencing the same problem on how to improve their pupils' skills predominantly in problem-solving. Some measures may be applicable to eradicate the problem and that is to search for the root of the problem, and that is READING start with a very basic word, teach the pupil on how to interpret word by word so that the pupil will derive a correct solution to the problem, translating the problem to Mother's tongue, follow consistently the step in analyzing the word problem such as Asked, Given Facts, Hidden question, Operation, Number Sentence, Solution and Answer and imparting adequate practice.