Gbenro Adesina
The Vice Chancellor, University of Ibadan (UI), Professor Idowu Olayinka, has launched the mathematics Solution song (MATMUSIC), composed by Dr Ishola Akindele Salami of the Early Child Education Department of the Premier University.
Speaking on the innovative project of using songs to simplify the dreaded mathematics, Olayinka stated that innovative tools must be adopted to enhance learning outcomes.
The Vice Chancellor challenged other researchers to discover new ways of enhancing learning by making learning interesting for positive learning outcomes.
He said, “He has come up with this innovative way to teach mathematics through music. I believe there is another possibilities to teach medicine through music. This is just a means of making learning interesting for the learners.”
The researcher of the MatMusicproject, Dr. Salami stated that the idea of MATMUSIC was a product of his teaching experience at the University Staff school, where he taught mathematics and realised that the students loved the course, when he introduced music in passing across the formula and solution.
Together with the pupils, Salami said the song was composed and produced to ease the understanding and solving mathematical problems in elementary primary schools.
According to him, about 20 schools in Oyo State were given 10 free audio and video CDs of the MATMusic and another 300 hundred to those who attended free of charge.
In his remark, the Chairman of the Oyo SUBEB, Dr Nureni Adeniran, lauded the innovative project and promised that the state would partner with the University of Ibadan to ensure that the CDs get to the pupils at the grassroots to neutralise the fears of pupils to mathematics.
Adeniran, who spoke through Dr Kemi Adeosun said, “We appreciate this notable project because mathematics is a very important subject. The major objective of UBE is to inculcate in children, literacy numeracy, life skills and values that will help them in lifelong education and as well to solve life problems. We found out that student regards this subject as an almighty mathematics including myself because I struggled to have the last credit in my O’levels Examination. This method will really help the teachers and the learners to develop the capacity to understand mathematics better and be able to learn it in a fun way. It will make it easier and the achievement of the UBE will be easier. We are going to put up all our efforts in making sure that this project reaches the grassroots. As soon as we are able to raise funds, we will buy some of these items for the use in our public primary schools”.
