By Sani Idris-Abdulrahman

Emerald-Isle Foundation, an NGO, has taken steps to equip mathematics teachers in basic schools in Kaduna State with 21st century teaching skills to improve learning outcomes.

The Team Lead, Ms Evelyn Ode, said this in Kaduna on Saturday, at a one-day training to empower educators with enhanced strategies for teaching mathematics to young learners in basic schools.

Ode explained that the training, under the foundation’s “Train the Tutor Project”, was supported by Ihifix Innovation Hub, to address the problem of mathematics phobia among learners.

She explained that after the training, the teachers would be able to Identify and evaluate the essential qualities of an effective mathematics teacher.

This, she said, would enable the teachers to reflect on how these traits influence students’ engagement and learning outcomes in their various classes.

She added that the teachers would also be able to recognise and differentiate between various learner types – visual, auditory, kinaesthetic, reading/writing and digital, and adapt teaching strategies to meet diverse student needs.

“The teachers will equally apply learner-centred strategies that promote critical thinking and problem-solving in early mathematics education.

“They will also analyse and design effective mathematics lesson plans, using best practices, tailored to young learners’ developmental stages.

“Also, the teachers would be able to demonstrate how to integrate real-life applications and hands-on activities into mathematics lessons to enhance relevance and retention.

Ode said that the training, which began with 12 teachers from Elison Academy, Kaduna, would be scaled up to cover many mathematics teachers across different schools across the state.

The Lead Facilitator, Ms Jane Odeh, said that the training integrates hands-on methodologies commonly practiced in the United States, with the rich teaching practices in Nigeria.

Odeh is a mathematics lecturer at Benue State University and a PhD student in Industrial and Computational Mathematics at Morgan State University, Maryland, United States.

According to her, the hybrid approach holds great promise in improving children’s learning outcomes, making mathematics easier to understand and more relevant and engaging.

“We explored practical strategies to make mathematics more accessible and relatable by connecting it to everyday life.

“This shift from rote learning to real-life application empowers students to develop critical 21st-century skills like problem-solving, collaboration, and analytical thinking that are vital for the future of work.”

She expressed concern that performance trends in national examinations, including the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination indicate the urgent need to reform Nigeria’s educational practices, especially in core subjects like mathematics.

“This is not just an academic concern; it is a call to invest meaningfully in Nigeria’s educational sector to build a more competent and competitive future workforce,” she said.

On his part, the Chief Executive Officer, Ihifix Innovation Hub, Mr Emmanuel Adikpe, said that integrating 21st century skills in the classroom strengthens the teaching methods and strategies of educators.

“This in the long run, will prepare learners for future jobs.

“Ihifix is passionate about education and would continue to support programmes that contribute to nation-building,” Adikpe said.

One of the teachers, Blessing James, a Kindergarten II teacher, said the training was her first since she was recruited to teach in the school.

James added that she had learned new methods of teaching mathematics to young learners.

“The training broadened my knowledge on how to teach my pupils, using their curiosity to engage them.

“I look forward to more training like this to learn more,” she said.

Similarly, a primary four and five mathematics teacher, Emmanuel Adawba, equally said that it was his first time participating in such training, which he described as “very educational”.

“I have learned new strategies of making mathematics easier for the pupils, particularly how to adopt play into teaching mathematics to make it more fun,” he said.

The Head Teacher of the school, Mr Enoch Agang, thanked the foundation for the support, toward helping learners to understand and embrace mathematics.

He noted the need to adopt the use of instructional and other teaching aids to make the teaching of the subject more engaging and interesting. (NAN)

Edited by Philip Yatai