Challenges facing Mathematics teachers today: what roles educational leaders can play
By Yahaya Ahmad
Introduction
Today's mathematics teachers are experiencing major changes not only in the mathematics content they teach, but also in the way they teach. Nearly all of these teachers came through school when mathematics teaching was not what it is today. Now teachers are called on to teach new, more challenging mathematics to a new set of today’s students whose understanding of basic Mathematical concepts is lacking may be due to the falling standard of education from the grass-root. Now the expectation from teachers is high and the students’ basic background is bad. This is an enormous challenge to today’s teachers.
Tackling the challenges
To meet these challenges, mathematics teachers need to develop a teaching philosophy that will make students appreciate and understand a clear and sound explanation of a difficult concept. Students experience the greatest growth when they have the chance to express themselves by asking any question they might have and feel comfortable in class. The first objective of a teacher in any class is to create a safe atmosphere for learning that involves encouraging students to express themselves freely, but respectfully.
It is always extremely important to set the tone during the first classes, telling the students what is expected from them, and what can they expect from you as a teacher. Learning the students' names is a very good start to creating a personalized experience. Some students feel very intimidated by being in a math class, and treating them individually helps to bring them into the group, as well as to convey a sense that they are not just bystanders, that you care about their individual progress and you are there to help them with their specific needs.
Today’s teacher should understand that there is no substitute for good teaching. The key to success is to teach well. It’s very rewarding to receive positive feedback from students about the quality of your teaching. It is very important to find a way of seeing math concepts that appeal to students. Being able to translate difficult concepts into something that they can digest is a must. Still, every class is a new challenge, and some old tricks of the trade might not work all the time. As a teacher you have to be prepared to adapt to each class and use your creativity and intuition to help the students learn.
It is fundamental to be dynamic and entertaining. Math can be dense sometimes, but that doesn't mean it has to be boring or tedious. Being dynamic means to be proactive and receptive. The teacher needs to be proactive by taking the initiative to show the students new perspectives they didn't imagine before, and he needs to be receptive in order to adjust his techniques to make them the most suitable for the specific needs of a group of students. It is a fact that every group of students is different, and each group needs different approaches. Flexibility is the key.
The teacher should challenge students, with achievable tasks that can build their confidence as they stretch beyond their comfort level. He should encourage them to do things they didn't think they could do. He will notice that the students find tremendous satisfaction when they achieve something that they didn't think they could achieve. To see that is really rewarding. That's one of the biggest payoffs of a teaching career, to see the students find unexpected talents in them.
Teaching mathematics requires great sensitivity and perceptiveness. There are people taking math classes who have no interest in the field at all, and take the class only because it is a requirement for their major. It's also common to find people who are very frightened of how hard maths can be. These are instances in which the teacher must convey to the students that even though maths can be challenging, it is like any other subject, and is accomplishable through discipline, persistence, and hard work. These students' preconception of math as difficult and abstruse is often their biggest stumbling block, and as a teacher you help them to break down these mental barriers by providing alternative ways of looking at problems until the information "clicks."
Positive leadership is the key to making students feel that they can get a lot from the class they are taking. It is your role as teacher to let them know that maths is an incredibly exciting field and that the possibilities are endless. But it is also your role to show them that achievement does not come for free and effort is a primary factor in the formula for success.
Roles of educational leaders
A manager, or administrator, whether in the educational, political or business field has a goal in view; namely to attain maximum success through effective utilization of his human and material resources. The attainment of this task demands a lot of wisdom and expertise on the administrator or executive to effectively manage his personnel (Adeloye, 2001). Again, Fagbeni (1994) posited that effective leadership in whatever capacity demands much of intellectual abilities like sound judgement, resourcefulness, initiative, broadmindedness, the ability to foresee and analyse problems and offer possible solutions. Schein (1990) added that “expertise is fundamental to an administrator’s power, influence and success. If the staff members recognize the leader’s expertise in planning, analyzing, implementing and controlling administrative tasks, they are likely to respect the leader and cooperate with him”.
Putting these views altogether, educational leaders have roles to play in order to set today’s Mathematics teachers on focus and enhance their commitments towards teaching profession. These roles include:
(i) Provide meaningful, on-going staff development opportunities that assist teachers in developing new teaching methods proven to be effective with today's students.
(ii) Provide teachers with adequate time to plan for classes that actively engage students in learning.
(iii) Review carefully the type and content of tests used to assess mathematics achievement and determine if the tests are aligned with set curriculum goals.
(iv) Consider a broad range of assessment strategies that fully assess mathematics achievement.
In conclusion, teachers are key figures in changing the ways in which Mathematics is taught and learned in schools. Such changes require that teachers have long-term support and adequate resources to discharge their roles effectively. These resources include their welfare. As individuals, they require the satisfaction of some basic needs to live happily.

Ahmad is a lecturer at Physical Sciences Department (Mathematics Unit), Kano State College of Arts, Science and Remedial Studies and can be reach via e-mail: yahayacas@yahoo.com