In 1623, the great scientist from Italia Galileo wrote: “That vast book which stands forever open before our eyes, the universe, cannot be read until we have learned the language and become familiar with the characters in which it is written in mathematical language.” The statement could motivate mathematics educators to use outdoor mathematics as an alternative approach or method in learning mathematics. Moss (2007), describes that outdoor mathematics experiences not only help learners to see connections between mathematics and other disciplines, but also help learners feel more connected to their natural world.
The current issue in mathematics education is constructivism. Haylock, D. & Thangata, F. (2007:35), state that constructivism focuses attention on the pupil‟s learning rather than on the teacher‟s teaching. The challenge for teachers is to create experiences that engage pupils and to foster the making of mathematical meaning which can be applied or transferred to other situations. Constructivism as a theory of learning is more than simply „learning by doing‟ or experiential learning. Children may manipulate mathematical materials in the prescribed way but may not be learning, or they might not be able to transfer their knowledge to more formal representations or to other contexts.
The implication of the statements above is that mathematics teachers at primary school need both the pedagogy of teaching mathematics and the subject matter; namely the knowledge of the structure of mathematics and the knowledge of how to facilitate students learn mathematics. Students learn mathematics through the experiences that teachers provide. A good teacher should select and use one or two suitable methods from the various methods. Students need something
outdoor that would foster them to work in teams, support and extend students‟ literacy skills development, make them aware of other situation and condition around them and keep them amused. The teacher is responsible for the implementation of outdoor mathematics approach in the elementary mathematics curriculum. The teacher needs to experience and understand this approach in his education.
The current issue in mathematics education is constructivism. Haylock, D. & Thangata, F. (2007:35), state that constructivism focuses attention on the pupil‟s learning rather than on the teacher‟s teaching. The challenge for teachers is to create experiences that engage pupils and to foster the making of mathematical meaning which can be applied or transferred to other situations. Constructivism as a theory of learning is more than simply „learning by doing‟ or experiential learning. Children may manipulate mathematical materials in the prescribed way but may not be learning, or they might not be able to transfer their knowledge to more formal representations or to other contexts.
The implication of the statements above is that mathematics teachers at primary school need both the pedagogy of teaching mathematics and the subject matter; namely the knowledge of the structure of mathematics and the knowledge of how to facilitate students learn mathematics. Students learn mathematics through the experiences that teachers provide. A good teacher should select and use one or two suitable methods from the various methods. Students need something
outdoor that would foster them to work in teams, support and extend students‟ literacy skills development, make them aware of other situation and condition around them and keep them amused. The teacher is responsible for the implementation of outdoor mathematics approach in the elementary mathematics curriculum. The teacher needs to experience and understand this approach in his education.
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