IMPORTANCE OF HANDBOOKS AND

WORKBOOKS IN LEARNING MATHEMATICS

SINI.S
MATHEMATICS
REGISTER NO: 180/13376010
NEW B.Ed COLLEGE, NELLIMOODU



INTRODUCTION
Teachers handbook and workbook are the key resource
containing practical teaching and learning ideas and materials. Teachers handbook is
not simply a collection of teaching ideas and activities. It describes an approach to
teaching and learning mathematics. This book can be best used as part of an
approach to teaching using a plan or scheme of work to guide the teaching. The
workbook provides an attractive and engaging means of reviewing, reinforcing and
applying the material of mathematics.

WORKBOOK
A workbook is a modification of the text book and it is slowly
coming into the mathematical classroom. A workbook should be written by an
experienced teacher with care and foresight. A good work suggests appropriate
activities and exercises in addition to what the textbook does. It saves time for the
students as they need not recopy the problems and exercises from the textbook. It
eliminates mistakes committed due to the wrong copying of numbers and digits. It
facilitates uniformity in students work and facilitates easy correction of their work. It
serves as a supplementary teaching device. It provides opportunities for pupils to
develop computation and problem solving skills. It provides activities and exercises in
addition to those given in textbooks. It helps slow learners to learn at their own
pace. If the exercises are well graded it can satisfy requirements raised by individual
differences.

Functions of a workbook
A good workbook serves the following functions:
It suggests appropriate activities and exercise in addition to what the textbook
does.
It saves time for the students as they need to recopy the problems and
exercise from the textbook. It eliminates the mistakes due to the wrong
coping of numbers and digits.
It facilitates uniformity in students work and facilities easy correction of their
work.
It serves as a supplementary teaching device.
It provides opportunities for pupils to develop computation and problem
solving skills.
It provides activities and exercises in addition to the textbook problem and
exercises.
Slow learner can learn at their own pace.

Characteristics of workbook
A workbook has the following characteristics:
It should be written by an experienced teacher of mathematics.
The author should clearly specified the educational outcomes that he tries to
bring about.
A Variety of well graded exercises should be provided for each topic.
Enough space should be provided in the book far working out the problems.
The exercises should cater to the individual difference and individual needs.
It should be accompanied by a list of answers to varies graded assignments
or exercises given in the workbook to enable the pupils to verify their answer.
It can be made attractive and appealing by suitable illustration and diagrams.
Physical features of the book such as cover page, print, paper and binding
should be good.
It should be reasonably priced.
It should be easily available.


Advantages of workbook
Workbook supplements classroom learning.
It promotes self learning and self assessment.
It provides for working out different types of assignments.
It gives practice of classroom learning and there by reinforces learning.
It promotes mathematisation.

Teachers Handbook
Teachers handbook is an excellent reference material for teachers for effective
mathematics teaching. In our state, it is prepared by the SCERT along with textbook.
The teachers handbook aims at helping the teacher to monitor the programme.
Handbook is a valuable teaching device suitable for a wide range of interests and
abilities. It contains list of teaching aids, summarizes of what is learnt, well organized
exercises etc. a handbook should promote self-expression, supplemented by
assignment of various types. In short, it should provide suggestion to enrich the
experience of learners. A bibliography of relevant books and journal should be
included.

Advantages of teachers handbook
It equips the teacher with sufficient theoretical knowledge and practical
suggestions of what is to be taught.
It provides suitable learning experiences for different instructional situations.
It helps teachers to adopt appropriate method and approaches to learning.
It helps the teachers prepare various instructional materials.
It helps the teachers evaluate learning outcomes using relevant and standard
tools of evaluation.

Handbook is for mathematics teachers working in higher primary
and secondary school in developing countries. The book will help teachers improve
the quality of mathematical education because it deals specifically with some of the
challenges which many mathematics teachers in the developing world face, such a
lack of ready- made teaching aids, possible textbook shortages, and teaching and
learning mathematics in a second language. Teachers all over world have developed
different ways to teach mathematics successfully in order to raise standard of
achievement. Mathematics teachers have
- Developed ways of using locally variable resources
- Adapted mathematics to their own cultural contexts and to
the tasks and problems in their own communities
- Introduced local mathematics related activities into their
classroom
- Improved students understanding of English in the
mathematics classroom
We hope teachers everywhere will use the ideas in this book to help students
increase their mathematical knowledge and skills.
This book is not simply a collection of teaching ideas and activities. It
describes an approach to teaching and learning mathematics. This book can be best
used as part of an approach to teaching using a plan or scheme of work to guide our
teaching. This book is only one resource out of several that can be used to help us
with ideas for activities and teaching methods to meet the needs of all pupils and to
raise standards of achievements.

CONCLUSION
A workbook is an important tool for the students for learning
purpose. A good workbook serves as a supplementary teaching device. A good
workbook provides activities and exercises for students. The teacher handbook is a
good reference material which aims at helping the teacher to monitor the
programme. The workbook and handbook are necessary for teaching- learning
processes.

REFERENCE
1. James. A (2005): Teaching of Mathematics.
New Delhi: Neelkamal Publications. Pvt. Ltd
2. <http//www.importance of teachers handbooks and workbooks in
learning mathematics.com>
3. Soman. K & Sivarajan. K: Teaching of mathematics. Calicut
University.