NATIONAL POLICY ON EDUCATION AND GENERAL OBJECTIVES OF MATHEMATICS AT THE SECONDARY SCHOOL LEVEL.
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
This chapter presents a review of literature that is relevant to this study.
Summary.
NATIONAL POLICY ON EDUCATION AND GENERAL OBJECTIVES OF MATHEMATICS AT THE SECONDARY SCHOOL LEVEL.
The new mathematics curriculum is designed tobe line with the objectives of the secondary education as stipulated in the national policy on education 1997
These objectives are as follows:
1). the inculcation of the right type of value and attitude for survive of the individual and the Nigeria society.
2). To provide necessary mathematical background for higher learning.
3). The acquisition of appropriate skills abilities and competencies both mental and physical equipped for the individual to live and contribute to the development of his society.
4). To develop precisely logical and abstract thinking.
5). To encourage creativity.
6). To develop the ability to recognize problem and to solve them with related mathematical knowledge.
7). To foster the desire and ability to be accurate to a degree relevant to the problem at hand.
8). To develop interest for mathematics and provide a solid foundation for everyday living (FME 2000)
In view of these objectives,. The government of Nigeria in 1997 from both primary and secondary schools phase out modern mathematics.
The subject (mathematics) will still remain a concept in the air for teachers in general and students in particular until it made real through curriculum. This curriculum is a structure series of intended learning experiences. It embraces purposeful educational institution to achieve predefined goals.
It is worthy to note that a well planned curriculum has three (3) complement such as:
In the senior secondary school all that are going to be learn (How) and the person that is going to implement them (who) are all referred to as curriculum. Syllabus contains what is to be leant. Though there skills and knowledge of mathematics are available in the syllabus.
The aims of the curriculum are giving better directions by the syllabus. It covers a period of one year.
The syllabus is further broken down into scheme of works. This scheme of work crystallizes the syllabus because all the teaching approaches and material to be learn are well stated there. These group teach are in a logical sequence so that they make more meaning to the teacher.
They are planned to cover term works. Then the different groups in the scheme of work are known as units of instruction last for a period of one week or more depending on how the teacher plans his own.
Each of this unit is still broken into daily lesson. The lesson is the litmus test for all fine English we spoke about curriculum and therefore it is a theatre for trying out the lofty claims educations make about curriculum, the lesson is what in our situation today show whether our curriculum actualizations tally with our curriculum intensions
CONCEPTS CURRICULUM
Curriculum in its origin referred to as planned composite effort of school to guide students learning outcome.
Meagley and Evans 1995 defined curriculum as all the planned experiences provided by the school to assist the students in attaining the designated learning outcomes to the best of their abilities.
Jonson (2000) sees curriculum as a structure series of intended learning outcomes. Bobbit (1998) defined curriculum as the entire range of consciously direct training experiences that student must like for completing and protecting the students have in that environment.
Fafunwa (2001) sees curriculum as the whole of educational process, that is the total environment in which education takes place such as students, the teacher, the subject, the content, the method, the physical and the psychological environment.
Kanas (1999) stated that curriculum is what happens to children in school as a result of what they should accept their responsibilities.
Saylor and Alexander (1996) Sees curriculum as the effort of the school in bringing about desired outcome in school in and out of school situation.
Offorma (2002) defined curriculum as a deliberate and systematic planned attempt to change the behaviour of the young to enable them gain insight which will help them to build a better society.
Therefore from the entire view one can see curriculum as all the planned written down experiences for learners, which take place within or outside the school premises.
These experiences must be desirable and aimed at achieving the expectation process for a progressive cycle.
CURICULUM CHANGES IN M,ATHEMATICS
Mekinney and Wstbury (2002) argued that maintenance and change are too primary functions of administrative and governing structure which surround the schools.
This is in line with the adage, which says that culture in any nation is dynamic. Therefore mathematics as an element of Nigeria culture is ever evolving.
In August (2002) the international congress of mathematics highlited the need for mathematics curriculum reforms at all level of education all over the world during her conference at Edinburgh, Scotland (Habor-Peter in Abacus, 1992).
The reasons for the suggested reform were attributed to the great shortage in meeting the technical needs for mathematics, physicists and engineers. It was reported that outcome of this conference was an eye-opener to all nations to the fact that all secondary school mathematics program cope up with modern sciences.
This report sparked of a worldwide movement by individual and nations. Must of them set up committee to form their secondary school mathematics programme.
Introduction of western education into Nigerian brought about the teaching of Arithmetic’s in primary school and institution.
About a decade after, mathematics often taught as Arithmetic’s, algebra, geometry and trigonometry. In addition there was an optional syllabus. Additional mathematics was meant for student who are brioght in mathematics (2005).
It was then witnessed that number of mathematics educators remained woefully in adequate and there appeared to be next to no effort directed towards influencing the pre-service education of elementary school teacher which is to prepared the pupils to senior secondary school level.
Nevertheless, the most prevailing was that the above programs were inadequate for the students needs and inspirations. There was therefore a need for change. The call for change was made in 1997 and set motion in the early 1998
This movement necessitated the introduction of “ modern mathematics” into the Nigeria primary and secondary schools of mid 1999. these modern mathematics program (syllabus were most ill equipped in terms of human and material resources.
Therefore form the syllabus the teaching and learning of mathematics in the primary and secondary school become horrible.
In response to the ugly situation the federal military government through the federal ministry of education invited a cross-section of Nigerian mathematics, mathematics education and other concerned with the shaping of mathematics curriculum in Nigeria to a meeting in Benin (2001) in the letter of invitation, it was clearly stated that ministry of education wished to be guided by experts in order to give appropriate advice to government on ways of improving the teaching and learning of mathematics in schools. But surprisingly the then federal ministry of education in his opening address said that he was through with seeking advice and that the government had made up its mind that modern mathematics was to be suspended for the elementary schools and de-emphasized in secondary schools of all the state in Nigeria (Ohuche 2002) Thus came the end of modern mathematicians and mathematics educators saw it as a set back.
Indeed before the Benin meeting of 2000 that was in July 1999, the Nigeria Educational Research council (NERC) have already look into his situation but they could not meet the ta
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