Web-based and mobile mathematics applications were announced recently to aid Filipino students to better adapt to online and blended education in the new normal.
The free Mathplus apps were introduced during Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU)-School of Science and Engineering’s webinar series titled “Senso Eskwela Pilipinas at Iba pa.”
They run on moderate system requirements in laptops, tablets or cellphones, and are now readily available for teachers and students.
The apps are research-based, aligned with the Most Essential Learning Competencies of the official Grade 1 to Grade 11 Mathematics Curriculum of the Department of Education (DepEd), said the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Industry, Energy, and Emerging Technology Research and Development (DOST-PCIEERD) news release.
They were designed to promote mathematical reasoning and visual thinking so that Filipino children can learn to think by and for themselves.
The Mathplus Resources team consists of ADMU mathematicians, mathematics educators and software developers, headed by Dr. Ma. Louise Antonette N. De Las Peñas, a professor at the Department of Mathematics and the associate dean for Research and Creative Work of Loyola Schools.
The team initially developed the apps to create a digital mathematics learning environment where Filipino students can learn mathematics and think by and for themselves in solving mathematical problems.
They turned out to become essential aids to learning in response to the unprecedented urgent need for educational adaptations in the country driven by the Covid-19 pandemic, the news release said.
De Las Peñas’s team accomplished this through the project, “Technology Innovations for Mathematical Reasoning, Statistical Thinking and Assessment,” funded by the DOST-PCIEERD.
“We are confident that this project can help students to manage their own learning, monitor their progress, think creatively and critically, and solve real-life problems. With that, no one will be left behind as students from isolated community will also have access to these learning resources,” said DOST-PCIEERD executive director Dr. Enrico C. Paringit.
During the webinar, ADMU sealed their collaboration with DepEd schools’ divisions in Mandaluyong and Marikina through a memorandum of understanding.