Use of Counters for Simplifying The Teaching Of Number Bases In Secondary Schools

Abstract

The notion of the pedagogical sequence of “concrete to abstract” is supported by educational theories, research, and practice, especially in mathematics and science education. But in the teaching of number bases, many teachers violate this pedagogical sequence and teach the topic abstractly. This has created difficulties for students and teachers in trying to study and understand the topic. Many teachers teach number bases abstractly by just stating the algorithms for the conversions from one base to the other without concrete materials to practicalise the concepts.  In this paper, focus is on how to simplify the teaching and learning of number bases in schools using counters. Also, model strategies for carrying out basic operations in various number bases are discussed. The paper recommends that teachers should use counters to simplify the teaching of number bases in schools

Key words: Counters, Number Bases, Teaching