An Adaptive Learning Model for teaching Mathematics to Disaffected Youth who would qualify to sit the NAPLAN Year 9 Numeracy Test

1. Introduction

Many students because of poor understanding, lack the expertise and confidence to apply their mathematics classroom knowledge and understanding to their every day problem solving situations. In addition they have a poor attitude towards mathematics learning and its usefulness. I believe the traditional method of teaching mathematics which over-emphasises:

memorization of formulae and procedure,

use of algorithm

the solving of only routine classroom problems

contributes to this lack of confidence and attitude. I believe that in order to improve student confidence and attitude we must change our classroom emphasis. We must concentrate more on teaching mathematical thinking (the process of being able to analyse quantitative information and appropriately apply concepts and procedures in solving the novel as well as the routine problem), and on students gaining the knowledge and understanding of knowing in a problem solving situation:

what to do

how to do it and

why they are doing it ( e.g. why they are thinking, feeling or behaving the way they are)

so that students may be more successful in applying their classroom knowledge and understanding not only within the classroom setting, but in their everyday out of class problem-solving situations. Without this success students will be disadvantaged when they begin to enter the workforce, there will be limited occupations available to them. They will find that mathematics is the language and foundation stone for commerce, all the sciences, engineering and design work. This lack of expertise, understanding and confidence has far reaching consequences, because a country which has a significant mathematically illiterate population deprives itself...

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