VARIOUS PROBLEMS FOR TEACHING GEOMETRY TO THIRD GRADE STUDENTS

Abstract

The knowledge on geometry are of great importance for the understanding of reality. Spatial notion and geometrical concepts, graphical skills and habits are an important part of the study of geometrical knowledge in elementary school as propedeutics of the system course on geometry in the next school levels. In the recent years, education in Bulgaria follows the trends imposed by the European Union related to the acquiring of some basic key competencies. They promote to the improvement of knowledge, skills, abilities and attitudes of students and their more successful social development. From the school year 2016/2017, the education in the Bulgarian schools is in accordance with the new Law on pre-school and school education. Under this law, students are teached under new curriculum and teaching kits for the corresponding class. According to the new curriculum, the general education of the students of I-IV grade, covers basic groups of key competencies. Here, much more attention is paid also to the results of international researches on the students’ performance in mathematics. Primary school students participate in international competitions and Olympiads, which lead to the need of working on more mathematical problems with geometric content of the relevant specific types. This allows to study and use author’s various mathematical problems for teaching geometry. Their purpose is to contribute to the expansion of space notions of the students, to develop their thinking and imagination. This article is dedicated to the application of author’s various mathematical problems and exercises for teaching students from the third grade through which the geometrical knowledge and skills of the students develop and build. The solving of the mathematical problems is realized on a rich visual-practical basis, providing conditions for inclusion of the students in various activities. The proposed various mathematical problems are developed by themes including fully geometric problems and exercises for teaching mathematics to third grade students. Teaching by using the various mathematical problems was held with 149 students from third grade, from five schools - three in Sofia and two in smaller towns, in the school year 2016/2017.