Opinions of teachers about computer aided mathematics education who work at special education centers Academic research paper on "Educational sciences"

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Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences 1 (2009) 390-394

World Conference on Educational Sciences 2009

Opinions of teachers about computer aided mathematics education who work at special education centers

Murat Tezera, Sezer Kanbula*

aNear East University, Faculty of Education, 98010, North Cyprus Received October 25, 2008; revised December 15, 2008; accepted January 04, 2009

Abstract

Computer provides a lot of possibilities for disabled students to improve their mathematical abilities. Mathematics is a numerical system which is produced by human. Mathematics is an abstract concept. It is difficult to get abstract concepts. Computer software is a tool which motivates, gives chance for education one by one and also it concrete some abstract concepts. A research has done for this aim. We had opinions of 6 special education centers' teachers and headmasters who related to the Ministry of Education's unit Primary School Office, about computer aided mathematics teaching. During gathering data we applied a questionnaire to find out opinions about computer aided mathematics teaching' which improved by Yenilmez and Sarier (2007). It has 30 items which adapted for Special Education Centers.

As a result of the study teachers mentioned positive results about computer aided mathematics teaching contribute disabled students.

© 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Keywords: Special education center; computer aided education; teaching mathematics.

1. Introduction

If differences in a human life causes a dificulty for this human education with his peers it means that this person needs special education. To explain more, we can say these people have different properties physically, social, mind and emotional so they can not benefit from normal education, we call them people who need special education. Special education which is an apart service includes people who need special education. (Demirkiran, 2005).

Special education has special staff, improved education programs and methods for people social educational necessity that need special education. Special education means an education according to these people ability properties and an environment which suits their development properties. (Ministry of Education special Education Services Regulations, 2000, p.11.).

* Murat Tezer. Tel.: +90-392-223-6464; fax: +0-392-680-2023. E-mail address: mtezer@neu.edu.tr; skanbul@neu.edu.tr

1877-0428/$-see front matter © 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2009.01.070

As became in other countries, in North Cyprus special education began in special education schools in basis unequal treatment. People who need special things were continue special education schools. These schools were established for their necessity in 1974. (Saygi, 2006)

Among improving information technologies, computer accepting the most important unit and it gets an increasing importance day by day. New established and improving country North Cyprus doesn't have a long past times starting education system by using computer. Computers in North Cyprus enter education for teaching computer in 1984. (Uzunboylu, 1995).

Mathematics gains importance because of the importance of mathematics in humans' life and benefits to scientific life. Mathematics teaching at begins pre-school, primary school and then it continue during a big period. We can explain the aim of mathematics such as this: it gives mathematical information abilities for daily life necessaries. And also it teaches solving problem and take up thinking style in a solving problem atmosphere. (Alkan, Altun, 1998).

In the basis of computer aided teaching is warning, answer and consolidation. They present stimulate information to students from monitor, student give answer to this information and presented consolidation to students according to the answer quality. This activity provides some changes at certain subjects in students' behaviors. It means learning takes place. (Tezer, Kanbul, 2008).

We can say that it provides quality service, provide at high degree teaching, increasing interest to learn lesson and cover lack of learning disabilities during gradual computer aided teaching. (Sulak, 2002).

We say technologies, which we use in special education, special education technology or assistive technology. If assistive technology developed to continue, improve and increase disabled people functional abilities for a commercial aim or not, it is a tool, equipment and a product for us. (Assistive Technology Act, 1998). "In another words assistive technology is a material and system to recompense their insufficiency and difficulties." Main aim of the assistive technology is not remove or make them better; the main aim is recompense them. We can show an example for assistive technology: metallic and electronic vocal reading books. It is future technology product for people who as difficulties in reading. A sound identification product is also in future technology group. These systems give a chance to disable people to listen sounds and write on the computer. Traditional technology and tools include more common and cheap equipments. Both types of technologies "future and traditional" give chance disabled people to collect data, to explain their ideas easier and choose the most suitable technology for themselves so technology make their life easier. (Raskind, 1999).

Developed technological tools not only make traditional schools better they also increase the quality of disabled and special education students' education. They design fast and net students assessment, studying with sound visual files, storing and analyze the information by teachers, individual studying program and teachers using software according to the students' special situations. Education period is getting better for sightless people by using different software properties such as sound files to give information and direction, to make bigger picture files to provide them reading easier. (Uzunboylu, 2008).

Mathematics has effect in technology as it has an effect all branches. If we think that mathematics is the logic and programming language of the computer, we can see that they have a strong interaction between computer and mathematics. (Ersoy, 1991, 2002a ve 2003). Also mathematics is not constant and it is a consistently developing area (Bitter, Hatfield ve Edwards, 1989) nor mathematics can be apart from computer neither computer can be apart from mathematics. Dependent this computer which we use in all units we start to use it for mathematics teaching. (Atman, 2005).

Primary schools' first step students haven't developed enough mentality level to understand that computer is an abstract. Only after eleven years old students have logical thinking ability to understand abstract concepts. So that using computer at primary schools are limited. (Aktumen ve Kagar, 2003).

2. Aim of the Study

Ministry of Education Primary schools 6 special education center teachers' opinions about computer aided education and demographic variables depends on this, takes place the aim of this research.The questions that we try to find out their answer for this aim:

1.What are the special education teachers' opinions about computer aided mathematics education?

2. Are special education teachers' opinions about computer aided mathematics teaching, present differences according to the gender?

3. Are there any differences between special education teachers' level for using computer and teaching computer aided mathematics?

3. Limitations

This questionnaire has limited data from respondents' special education center teachers and headmasters. It is accepted that they mentioned their real opinions.

4. Research Participants and Population

Research includes 6 special education centers' 30 teachers from North Cyprus. In all special education centers have limited special education teachers so these teachers took place the environment.

5. Instruments

During collecting data we used a questionnarie which adapted for special education centers. We applied questionnarie of Yenilmez ve Sarier (2007) 'Opinions of the prospective teacher about computer aided mathematics education' which improved in Turkish. These respondents rated each item as "Strongly Agree", "Agree", "Not Sure", "Disagree", "Strongly disagree". As a result of the analysis reliability of questionnaire found Cronbach Alpha number is 0.83.We applied 10 expert for questionnaire face validity. Also we used demographic information form to find out teachers' abilities, characteristics and personal information.

6. Data Analysis

During analyzing data, first verified personal information from information forms. Secondly Computer Aided Mathematics Teaching Opinions' data analyzed in SPSS 16.0. We used 5-point Likert type questionnaire to find out opinions about "Computer aided mathematics teaching in special education by teachers" which includes 30 items. Principally it was translated by an interpreter individually. During these translations it was translated to native language by four experts and it has equality in both of languages. The questionnaire was examined with percentage, mean (M), standard deviation (SD) and Mann Whitney U tests.

7. Result

This part includes findings and comments.

Special Education Teachers who attend this research are % 50 male, % 50 female. % 40 respondents are under age of 30 and % 43 respondents are between 31-35 ages so our respondents are young.% 40 respondents are graduated from 4 years special education department, % 60 of them graduate from a 4 years university department and totally % 27 of respondents are from postgraduate.%43.3 participants 0-5 years, %10 participants 6-10 years, %36.7 participants 11-15 years, %10 participants 21 years more teaching %66.7 participants mentioned that they know to use computer well, %33.3 participants present their ideas that they use computer medium level. Finally %93.3 participants said yes, %6.7 participants said no to this question "Do you wishful improve your abilities and

information about using information technology?" As a result of this questionnaire we understood that participants who gave positive answer have an interest graphic design softwares.

Table ¡.Opinions of Special Education Teachers About Computer Aided Mathematics Teaching (CAMT).

Questions Mean SD

1. I would like to use computer while teaching mathematics at special education center. 3,83 1,01

2. I don't agree that computer aided mathematics has got any benefits to teach topics at special education center. 2,40 1,06

3. It is enjoyable to use computer aided study while teaching mathematics at special education center. 4. It is more difficult to teach mathematics computer aided at special education center. 3,76 2,33 ,85 ,95

5. If we have enough number of computer to use computer aided teaching in lessons, I don't think to benefit from c mputers. 2,26 1,17

6. It is enjoyable for me to use computer aided study while teaching specially mathematics lessons education center.. t special 3,33 1,02

7. I hate the idea to teach mathematics lessons computer aided at special education center. 2,00 1,23

8. It is wasting of time to do mathematics lessons computer aided at special education center. 2,10 1,09

9. I don' think that computer and mathematics teaching have an interaction at special education center. 2,30 1,20

10. I don't trouble to have an aim open a course about teaching computer aided mathematics at special education center. 1,93 1,20

11. Because of I believe that I have enough information so I do computer aided mathematics teaching. 3,16 1,14

12. I prefer to use classical mathematics teaching methods instead of computer aided mathematics teaching education center. 13. I don't think that I will teach computer aided mathematics lessons at special education center. t special 2,40 2,13 1,16 1,22

14. Everything is interesting for me about teaching mathematics by using computer at special education cen TS. 3,76 ,93

15. I don't agree that computer aided mathematics teaching will provide convenience to teach better at special center. education 2,26 1,14

16. It is too much beneficial to do computer aided education at special education center. 3,76 ,81

17. I don't believe that I can teach a mathematics subject computer aided at special education center. 2,53 1,07

18. I believe myself about teaching computer aided mathematics at special education center. 3,56 ,93

19. Computer aided mathematics teaching is necessarily at special education center for visual. 3,50 1,10

20. It is a big trouble to do computer aided mathematics lessons at special education center. 2,83 1,14

21. I believe that computer aided mathematics teaching become more interesting for students at special education ce nter. 3,63 1,09

22. I would like to give enough importance to computer while preparing mathematics lesson plan at special educati n center. 3,56 ,89

23. It will never be important to teach computer aided mathematics at special education center in my life. 2,50 1,13

24. I think that I will suggest my students to use computer for teaching mathematics at special education center. 25. I would like to teach mathematics by using slide show at special education center. 3,43 3,60 ,89 1,13

26. I don't like that my students ask me a question to use computer in mathematics lesson at special educatic i center. 2,03 1,09

27. I am sure about I can learn computer language for using it in mathematics teaching at special education center. 3,50 ,97

28. I would like to attend a seminar about using computer to teach mathematics at special education center. 3,96 1,06

29. In the future I will use computer for teaching mathematics efficiently at special education center. 3,76 1,00

30. If I try to solve a new mathematics question by using computer at special education center, I feel good about thi subject. 3,73 ,90

If we observe the table 1 we can understand that special education teachers are willing for using computer (M=3.83). They think that it is enjoyable to do computer aided mathematics lessons (M=3.76). They would like to attend a seminar about using computer to teach mathematics and also everything is interesting for them about teaching mathematics by using computer at special education centers.

Special education teachers' opinions don't show any differences according to the gender at CAMT. (MannWhitney U test, Z= -1.873, N=30, P=0.61>0.05). If we look at special education teachers opinion according to their

level on using computer, there isn't any significant difference (Mann-Whitney U test, Z= -.265, N=30, P=0.812>0.05).

8. Conclusion

Today we benefit from computer at each level of education. A lesson, which is computer aided, motivates students more. We use auditory and visual technology and it makes better learning mathematics. If they use these computer technology enough and correct, they will provide a good learning environment for hyperactive students who have learning difficulties and mentally.

Special education class teachers generally agree to give computer aided mathematics education. (M=3.62). They mentioned that it will be more efficiency to give mathematics subjects on computer. They need a seminar to do mathematics lesson computer aided.

They also mentioned that it will be more enjoyable, beneficial and interesting to give mathematics lessons computer aided. On the other we find out that they don't have enough computers at special education centers. So a new research is necessary to find out lack of technologic elements.

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