QUALITIES OF GOOD MATHEMATICS TEXT BOOK

TEXTBOOK  ANALYSIS

A ) Introduction

          The mathematics textbook is an important source for learning mathematics and it plays a key role in effective teaching and learning.  A textbook should stimulate reflective thinking and develop problem-solving ability among students. The textbooks should present real learning situations, which are challenging and interesting for the students and should not render itself as a means of rote learning.

Text books and teachers’ guides occupy a unique place in the teaching learning process. Text book are an indispensable part of primary and secondary education. The text book is a teaching instrument. It is not only a source of information, but a course of study, a set of unit plans and learning guide. It helps to revise and reinforce the language material already taught. In the absence of any other instructional material, the text book becomes a potent tool in the hand of a teacher to teach the skill of a language and the more so of a foreign language.

B) Qualities of a Mathematics Textbook

The qualities of a good textbook in mathematics can be broadly classified under the following heads

1. Physical features
2. Author
3. Content
4. Organization and presentations
5. Language
6. Exercise and illustration
7. General

1. Physical features:

v  Paper: the paper used in the textbook should be of superior quality

v  Binding: it should have quality strong and durable binding

v  Printing: it should have quality printing, bold font and easily readable font.

v  Size: bulky and thick. It should be handy

v  Cover: it should have an appealing and attractive cover page.

2. Author:

v  Qualified author should write it

v  Experienced teacher should write it

v  Competent teachers should write it

v  It should be written by committee of experts constituted by the state government

v  For the authors, certain minimum academic and professional qualifications may be prescribed.

3. Content

v  It should be child centered

v  The subject matter should be arranged from simple to complex and concrete to abstracts.

v  The subject matter should create interest in the pupil.

v  It should be objective oriented

v  It should be written according to prescribed syllabus

v  It should satisfy the demands of examination

v  The answers given at the end of each section should be correct

v  It should include the recent developments in the mathematics relating to the content dealt with.

v  Oral mathematics should fine its due place in the textbook.

4. Organization and presentation

v  It should provide for individual differences.

v  There should be sufficient provision for revision, practice and review.

v  It should stimulate the initiative and originality of the students

v  It should offer suggestion to improve study habits.

v  It should facilitate the use of analytic, synthetic, inductive, deductive, problem solving and heuristic approaches to teaching.

v  Content should be organize in a psychological consideration

v  Content should be organize in a logical way

v  It should suggesting project work, fieldwork and laboratory work.

5. Language

v  The language used in the textbook should be simple and easily understandable and within the grasp of the pupils

v  The style and vocabulary used should be suitable to the age group of student for whom the book is written.

v  The term and symbols used must be those, which are popular and internationally accepted

v  It should be written in lucid, simple, precise and scientific language.

6. Exercise and Illustrations:

v  The illustrations should be accurate

v  The illustrations should be clear and appropriate

v  It should contain some difficult problems

v  It should contain exercises to challenge the mathematically gifted students.

v  There should be well-graded exercises given at the end of every topic.

v  The exercise should develop thinking and reasoning power of the pupils.

7. General:

v  At the end of book there should be tables and appendices.

v  The textbook should be of latest edition with necessary modifications

v  The book should be moderate price and readily available in the marker.

C) Conclusion

Every teacher of mathematics uses a textbook. An average teacher uses it as “his stock in hand” but a good teacher uses it as “a helper”. The textbook that is considered “as store house of basics information” can facilitate a teacher to do wonder in his subject.

          The textbook should not be used as the only source of instructional material. It should be used as an aid in teaching.