ACCESSIBLE MATHEMATICS BY IZMIR UNIVERSITY OF ECONOMICS

27 JANUARY 2014

Izmir University of Economics, Department of Mathematics helps students change their idea about math who perceive it as a nightmare, while the students of the Department took first steps to introduce math to children with disabilities through games as part of their project they developed.

Students from faculties of law, communication, fine arts and design, took the elective course “mathematical thought” offered by Department of Mathematics and got a chance to discover different ways of mathematics they did not take in high school. The students chose to teach the mathematical concepts to mentally disabled children through games. The students taught the math concepts to children with disabilities through songs at Cigli Ataturk Organized Industrial Zone Special Education Centre and Job Centre. When the students asked, “what is mathematics?” to children, they got the answer “1”, and they had fun while learning the 4 basic operations.

‘We fear what we don’t know’

Prof. Dr. Ünal Ufuktepe, Head of IUE Department of Mathematics, stated that people approached a subject they did not understand with fear, and he said that they brought a different perspective to the science of math with students in social sciences. “We visited Cigli Ataturk Organized Industrial Zone Special Education Centre and Job Centre with our students and tried to teach mathematical concepts to mentally disabled children through games. We created awareness among children about where and why math is being used. The future lawyers, communicators, designers will have a different view from now on. We fear and hate what we don’t understand. Each piece of information we make the kids understand make them face the future stronger,” stated Prof. Dr. Ünal Ufuktepe.

‘One needs to understand the philosophy of math to learn’

Prof. Dr. Ufuktepe reported that students in social sciences usually stay away from math believing that they will fail. The professor stated the following:

“Math requires questioning, however, in today’s education system, math is being taught as a dogma, without teaching the philosophy behind it. We grouped the students based on their abilities in Mathematical Taught course. Some students are shooting a documentary of the famous mathematician Pythagoras, who lived in Izmir and its surroundings thousands of years ago.”