Adapting a math book to the arab world region: Benefits on the learning process
Journal Title: European Journal of Science and Mathematics Education - Year 2018, Vol 0, Issue 0
Abstract
An instructor in the Arab world teaching a math course is used to the unfortunate situation where he wants to follow a well-known book whose reputation is long established and yet, all books he can find have been written in the western world, and none of them even allude to any of the specificities of the Arab world. The situation can even sometimes be squarely awkward in respected institutions rooted in traditional societies of the Arab world, where a professor enjoy an esteemed social status and is expected to have wisdom, but yet finds himself teaching some concepts and examples –although well written and sometimes mathematically critically important– which deal with irrelevant topics, such as income tax in countries where there are none, or frankly embarrassing ones, when gambling, alcohol consumption or others are at the forefront. Both students and educators ask themselves: can’t there be more relevant examples for this part of world? Can’t we use a book that takes into considerations, illustrates and values the society we are from? The idea of making an Arab World Edition for a textbook stems from that preoccupation. Indeed, we believe that such initiative is long overdue. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the benefits of the adaptation of a textbook to the world where a student lives and how a Math textbook can be adapted to the Arab world region. The Arab World version of the 13th edition of Haeussler, Paul and Wood’s textbook “Introductory Mathematical Analysis for Business, Economics, and the Life and Social Sciences” by haeussler will be used for this purpose.
Authors and Affiliations
Saadia Khouyibaba| Department of mathematics and Statistics, American University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates For correspondence: skhouyibaba@aus.edu
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP8148
- DOI -
- Views 371
- Downloads 26
The mistakes and the misconceptions of the eighth grade students on the subject of angles
The purpose of this study was to determine the learning levels, mistakes, and misconceptions of the 8th grade students on the subject of “angles in geometry” as well as the possible reasons for these situations. Research...
Inquiry based learning and meaning generation through modelling on geometrical optics in a constructionist environment
The central roles that modelling plays in the processes of scientific enquiry and that models play as the outcomes of that enquiry are well established (Gilbert & Boulter, 1998). Besides, there are considerable similarit...
The importance of the definition of weight
Presented by the Newton definition of weight that identifies the weight with the force of gravity exerted on the body, at the ninth grade, results in miss- conceptions: gravity stops at the end of the atmosphere and need...
Mentoring first year study groups - benefits from the mentors’ perspective
The ‘study group concept’ at the University of Southern Denmark (SDU) was implemented to aid first year students’ transitional challenges. A mentor (an older student) is affiliated each study group to facilitate producti...
Challenges pre-service teachers face when implementing a 5E inquiry model of instruction
This study examined the challenges that pre-service teachers faced when implementing inquiry and their perspective on how to overcome them. The data sample was 55 pre-service teachers (PSTs) enrolled into two sections of...