Use of Nonstandardised Measurements To Enhance Student Learning of Units
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Date
2007
Authors
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Journal ISSN
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Publisher
University of Namibia
Abstract
Measurement is described in the directives of the National Council of Teachers of
Mathematics (NCTM, 1989: 51) as "of central importance to the curriculum because of
its power to help children see that mathematics is useful in everyday life and to help them
develop many mathematical concepts and skills." At primary level, the instruction
emphasized the importance of establishing a firm foundation in the basic concepts and
skills of measurement. For example, understand the attributes of length, capacity, mass,
weight, area, volume, time, temperature, and angle. However, when learners reach
secondary level, still many do not have the sense of estimating one centimeter, one
centimeter square, or hectare. This can be attributed to the way measurements are
introduced and used in the schools. In fact metric units are just taken for granted.
We need to inculcate into our learners the sense of ownership of the units of
measurements, even the metric units. This is only possible if we revisit the nonstandard
units our ancestors used to measure objects as the basis of known (contextualizing) and
move to the unknown, the metric units. The metric systems of units have evolved since
the adoption of the first well-defined system in France in 1791 (Wikipedia, 2007).
Learners need to see the necessity of using the metric systems and this can only be done
if they work with nonstandard units and see the inconsistency in their measurements.
Description
Keywords
Nonstandardised, Enhance, Learning, Units, Measurements, Student
Citation
!Gaoseb, N., Kasanda, C. D. 2007. Use of Nonstandardised Measurements To Enhance Student Learning of Units; 13- 16 May 2007; Namib High School, Swakopmund: Windhoek; UNAM:1-11.