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Mathematics Education and Technology:
Past and Present – The Malaysia Experience

Yahya Abu Hasan & Mohamad Faisal b. Abdul Karim
Malaysia

In the Proceedings of the First Conference for ATCM, there was a paper surveying use of microcomputers in the teaching of mathematics in schools in one of the states in Malaysia (Munirah Ghazali, 1995). Half of the schools in the survey do not have even a single computer. Any available computers were used mostly for computer literacy, rather than as an aid in mathematics teaching and learning. This situation more or less can be found in the other 12 states of the country. Hand held calculators were there, but there was no place in the curriculum for an innovative use of this device. Of course technology meant different thing to different people. In schools, there are other technologies that are being used to aid student understanding of mathematics (Yusuf Hashim, 1998).

Things were not much better in the institutions of higher learning. Many mathematics departments did not have a computer related course let alone a computer laboratory for students. Traditional courses that need the use of computers, such as numerical analysis, were taught from a theoretical point of view. Computers were available, but their uses were restricted to academic staffs and research students. Staffs with grants bought individually mathematical software such as Maple, Mathematica, Matlab, SPSS and others.

During that time terms such as World Wide Web did not hold any meaning to most teachers and also to quite a few university lecturers. Administrators, because of the high price of computers at that time, saw computers as a luxury. They find it puzzling, having bought an expensive piece of equipment; an equal amount or more need to be spent to buy software. On the other hand, they will not question purchases of chemicals for chemistry or biology students. Many people had the mindset that there is no need to spend money on software as these can be cheaply bought from certain sources.

Two years later, the Second Conference was held in Malaysia. Among the local participants, there were quite a sizeable number from those who have a say in formulating policies. This time around, changes had been taking place. Many were now aware about the existence of the Internet and of its potential usage. They also have an inkling of the use of technology in mathematics education, but a proper exposure to case studies was lacking. Their participation in conferences such as ATCM did much in educating them.

By this time, more schools were equipped with computers. Teachers from selected schools were sent for training in the use of new hardware and software. Again, since the syllabus did not include the use of these technologies in formal teaching, any computer related courses were carried informally. The use and development of computer-aided instructions software were carried out. The better-equipped schools were involved in these types of activities. In the majority of schools, it was still pencil, paper, and blackboard type of instruction.

In the universities, things were moving at a faster pace. Many mathematics departments now had computer laboratories. Syllabuses were revised to incorporate the computing aspects of mathematics (Ismail, 1997). Students have access to the Internet, although on a limited bases. Some departments taught students the use of total environment software such as Matlab in mathematics. In other words, there was a concerted effort in making curriculum contemporary. The old problem still exists however; many still have a hard time convincing the administrators to set aside funds for software purchasing.

Many things came out of the second conference. For many, it was the first exposure to the graphing calculator and its potential use. Calculator graphic interest groups were formed, initially in the universities. There were many discussions on how to best to include this in the school and university syllabuses. At that time it was the hope of these groups that the relevant authorities will be more sympathetic towards curriculum reform in the school system. Like many other countries, there was a debate between proponents of 'new' mathematics and 'traditional' mathematics. Under one system, pupils are good at certain skills, but did not grasp the rationality behind the skills and under the other system, pupils know concepts and definitions but did not have the required computational skills.

The second time the conference was hosted in Malaysia, it was the year 2002. In the intervening years from 1997 to 2002, many changes took place. Information Technology is now one of the priorities on the government's agenda. In schools, vast amount of resources were being put into getting the school children IT-aware. The growing yearly universal availability of technology tools provides a grand opportunity to assist teachers in teaching well and in improving the mathematics experience of students. Teachers were trained in use of many software, from Geometers Sketchpad to AutoCad. There are a few centers, such as Regional Education Centre for Science and Mathematics (RECSAM) in the state of Penang, where experts from abroad were invited to give tutorials to local instructors.

There were a few changes to the school syllabus, but not as extensive as many hoped. Sophisticated hand held calculator is now standard among high school students. The use of CAD/CAM software is found in certain syllabus streaming. Changes also took place in the tertiary education system.

There were nine ATCM conferences since 1995. From conferences such as these, many case studies of others experience in applying technology to teach mathematics were collected. From this point of view, the approach has reached a mature state. In Malaysia, many changes took place between then and now. On the other hand, certain things remain the same.

School children, especially from the urban schools, and university students are very technology aware nowadays. Pupils from schools in the year 2005 are more computer literate than the undergraduates in 1995. The Internet has been a great source of ideas for teachers and the pupils doing projects. They are learning how to use mathematics and understanding the ideas behind it too. Foe example, two years ago, in a mathematics project competition for high school students in a particular state, the winning team used elements of graph theory and a software to chart the routes need to be taken by a taxi in going to certain hotels in a Malaysian city. The Internet has empowered them to learn graph theory from several websites. There are many other examples where the Internet and the proper use of software are enriching the mathematical experience of school children.

Nowadays, every school must have at least a computer laboratory. Over the last three years, the authorities have supplied graphic calculators to selected schools in Malaysia to explore calculator efficacy in teaching and learning of mathematics. Special projects were set up by educationists to assist school children in helping them to have a better grasp of fundamental ideas of mathematics using the graphic calculator (Idris, 2004). There are many success stories from these projects.

However, there are problems; there is a digital divide. Schools in the rural areas to a certain extent have not benefited much from the intrusion of technology in mathematics as compared to schools in urban areas. In most cases the school children have no access to computers outside of the school. Internet wise, there is no connection for some of the schools. Some of these problems are slowly being addressed. Whatever it is, there need to be proper training of teachers to enable them to teach well and to properly used the technology to assist school children in their understanding of mathematics.

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