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Mathematics is a pervasive element in people’s lives but
many don’t appreciate its importance. One of the results
is the poor performance of students, especially in the
primary and secondary levels, and perhaps the absence of
critical thinking of majority of the population.
Dr. Fidel
Nemenzo, associate professor of mathematics at the
University of the Philippines, thinks one of the root
causes of the people’s aversion for numbers is in the
compartmentalized manner of teaching it.
“Mathematics is important in our lives but people don’t
appreciate it, and part of the students’ reaction to
mathematics is that they don’t see its relevance,” said
Nemenzo in an interview with BusinessMirror held in UP
Diliman.
DR. FIDEL
NEMENZO during the interview in a mathematics classroom at
the University of the Philippines in Diliman.
--NONOY LACZA
“For
instance, people should be aware that computers cannot
function without a well-designed mathematical process,”
added Nemenzo, also the president of the Mathematical
Society of the Philippines (MSP).
People
must also be aware that calculating is not only limited to
numbers but also other ways, such as decision-making and
doing judgments, he said.
“We draw
the connection between things and our mind crafts a sense
of order to make these things relevant,” he said.
In
teaching mathematics, Nemenzo said it must go beyond the
usual standard drills, such as problem-solving. He pointed
out that teachers must be able to relate math to the
current social realities.
“But we
should not also ignore the importance of drills because
this sharpens the mind,” he said. “[However], you have to
show the students the connection between math and social
realities. Once you step out of the classroom, you
encounter things about mathematics,” he added.
Well,
paying one’s jeepney fare or buying from a corner store
involves mathematics. How much one pays to the driver
after plying a number of kilometers, or the tindera
for the goods bought, involves numbers.
Furthermore, Nemenzo said mathematics and statistics are
used by economists to measure growth and by the government
to show how well the economy is growing. At the same time,
math and statistics can also be used as tools to show the
social disparity in society.
“The
triangle is a good visual device to illustrate social and
economic inequality because it is easily understood by the
public and is not really a rigorous measurement accepted
in academic circles,” he said.
Language
is another important component on how to make people
appreciate mathematics more. For the professor who is also
involved in cause-oriented activities, he thinks using
Filipino in teaching math will result in bigger benefits.
He said he expects there will be strong resistance to this
idea, but he said it does not a take a genius or a geek to
understand math.
The famous
philosopher and mathematician Bertrand Russell pointed out
math and logic go together and people use them
subconsciously by crafting patterns in their personal
structure, just like choosing a decision to make the
family life better.
“If there
are patterns that require structure, that connotes a
mathematical structure,” he said.
Nemenzo
thinks one of the major stumbling blocks in developing the
national language is the high degree of colonial mentality
mainly of the country’s leaders.
To prove
his point, Nemenzo pointed out Vietnam as an example that
has managed to excel in math and science even if that
country is not known for its English proficiency.
“Vietnam’s
mathematical research is far more advanced than us.
Language is an important part of their education process,”
said Nemenzo.
“In my
view, mathematics should be taught in the language closest
to the heart of the people, which is Filipino. And the
government should make a stand on the matter. It should
have the political will to develop a national language
policy that would be the be all and end all of forming a
native tongue,” said Nemenzo, also the coordinator of the
science and society program of the UP College of Science.
He also
cited the Japanese experience as another case worth
studying. First, the Japanese absorbed the western
concepts in studying math. After learning from the West,
the Japanese learned to integrate the western concepts
into their native tongue. The result is that the Japanese
are learning math and science in Nipongo.
Another
example is
Thailand.
It uses Thai in their Windows operating system.
“We should
not give obstacles in the development of our own
language,” he said. As a teacher, he allows his students
to talk in Filipino in articulating their thoughts.
Another
challenge in teaching math is the dichotomy of Filipinos
in using English and Filipino, he said. When they are
inside the classroom they use English, while Filipino is
used outside the classroom.
“There’s a
disconnection between the language of the heart and the
language of the mind. That’s bad for learning,” he said.
Nemenzo
lamented the weak efforts of the government in developing
Filipino in favor of English in the name of globalization.
He believes a government station, such as the BBC of the
United Kingdom,
is worth emulating because it carries quality educational
materials for the people.
“A
government must lead the way and it should be clear it is
its agenda because advertisers will not do it,” he said.
The MSP
advocacy
The MSP is
also doing its share in uplifting the capability of math
teachers in the country through research and the yearly
teaching-enhancing program called the Summer Upgrading
Program for College Mathematics Teachers (Supcom). For
2008 the Supcom will be held on May 26 and 27 at the
Ateneo de Manila University.
The Supcom
aims to help math teachers at the college level upgrade
their knowledge, sharpen their mathematical skills and
enrich their teaching techniques.
For this
year the Supcom will focus on mathematical investigations
and will cover topics in numbers theory, graph theory,
geometry and analysis.
The MSP
will also conduct its 2008 convention on May 23 and 24 at
the National Institute of Science and Mathematics
Education auditorium in UP Diliman.
Nemenzo
said the yearly gathering is an avenue for mathematics
researchers and educators to interact and share their work
results toward the promotion of mathematics education and
research in the country.
Researchers and educators from the Philippines and abroad
working in pure and applied mathematics, mathematics
education, computing, statistics or other related areas
are expected to contribute short papers for oral and
poster presentations during the convention. The convention
is endorsed by the Commission on Higher Education and the
Department of Education. Lawyer Aquilino Pimentel III, a
mathematician by training and lawyer, will be the keynote
speaker.
Amid dark
clouds in the quality of math education in the primary and
secondary education levels, Nemenzo said there is a silver
lining in the college level. “There has been an upsurge in
research in the last 15 years,” he said.
Nemenzo
stressed the problem of math education is only part of the
bigger problem hounding the overall educational system in
the country.
“It’s just
a reflection of the problem in the system of education.
They [leaders] have wrong priorities for the country,” he
said.
As far as
getting support to develop math in the country, Nemenzo
and his colleagues are facing a Herculean challenge to
attract the right parties because they have an impression
that it is abstract and can’t stand alone for promotional
purposes.
“It is
unlike English where a certain organization can easily get
support because it can promote outright the language and
culture of a certain country,” said Nemenzo.
“It’s
still harder to sell mathematics compared with IT
[information technology] when it comes to seeking
sponsors. Selling the ideas that power a computer or a
gadget is not attractive to many people. I guess it’s a
problem of education, wherein it’s easier to see the
surface of things. There’s too much focus on the surface
or the form. This reflects the problems in the entire
learning process, preferring form over substance,” Nemenzo
stressed.
He
describes his tenure at MSP, where he is on his second
term as president, as challenging. He tries to expand the
Filipino mathematicians’ ties with different math
societies in Asia. Networking, according to Nemenzo,
enables exchange of ideas between mathematicians which is
beneficial for Filipinos.
MSP is
also seeking the holding of the Philippine Math Olympiad (PMO)
on a yearly basis. For lack of funds, the competition was
in limbo for four years. It was brought back this year,
thanks to the generosity of some corporations supporting
mathematics education.
The
revival of the PMO is one of the positive things in
promoting math because this motivates students to perform
their best—just like athletes in the quadrennial games.
There’s no
doubt MSP is doing its share in advancing education in the
country, particularly in the college level. But Nemenzo
stressed again that it must be a concerted effort and the
problems must be addressed at the roots.
“It boils
down to the role of the government in developing
education. In developed countries, governments play an
important role in enforcing policies to develop an
educational system beneficial to the people.”
Science
and society
Besides
math and social causes, Nemenzo is also an active advocate
in the science and society program of UP’s College of
Science, a program established in 1987.
“The idea
behind the program is to promote science as a
general-education subject—not only for scientists but for
everyone,” he said.
“Science
is not only a subject looking forward. The idea is to
study how science shapes and contributes to society,” he
added
In other
words, the program wants to show to the people that
science is connected and interrelated with the development
in society.
Take the
case of population growth. The numbers become irrational
when the country’s absorptive capacity cannot meet the
needs of the growing population. This results in resource
imbalance.
The UP
program conducts a twice- a-week-session with students.
Some of the topics tackled are fundamental difference
between science and religion, technology and music, and
bioethics.
With
science as the approximation of truth, Nemenzo said it
must go together with the liberal arts to avoid a
dichotomy between the two disciplines.
The
mathematician-social activist said science must not be
considered an elitist tool but must be embraced by
society.
He
stressed: the Filipinos’ lack of science and math culture
has resulted in a lack of critical thinking, resulting in
subservience in many forms. | 
