Exploiting Idioms and Proverbs of Vietnamese Regions in Teaching Mathematics in Primary Schools

Cong-Kien Hoang (Hung Vuong University, Nong Trang Ward, Viet Tri City, Phu Tho Province,)
Dieu-Thuy Thi Pham (Hanoi Pedagogical University 2, 32 Nguyen Van Linh Street, Xuan Hoa, Phuc Yen, Vinh Phuc,)
Tung Do (Hung Vuong University, Nong Trang Ward, Viet Tri City, Phu Tho Province,)
Tinh Thi Pham (Hung Vuong University, Nong Trang Ward, Viet Tri City, Phu Tho Province,)
Minh-Nguyet Thi Nguyen (Hanoi National University of Education, 136 Xuan Thuy Street, Cau Giay, Hanoi,)
Quoc-Chung Vu (Hanoi National University of Education, 136 Xuan Thuy Street, Cau Giay, Hanoi,)
Duy-Cuong Le (Dong Thap University, 783 Pham Huu Lau, Cao Lanh, Dong Thap,)
Thuy-Chung Nguyen (Hanoi National University of Education, 136 Xuan Thuy Street, Cau Giay, Hanoi,)

Emerging Science Journal
Vol 6 (2022): Special Issue "Current Issues, Trends, and New Ideas in Education"

Mathematics and idioms, as well as proverbs, all reflect the laws of life. At the same time, primary school children may have heard idioms and proverbs before attending school. Therefore, there are many possibilities to exploit and apply idioms and proverbs in teaching mathematics in primary schools. This study aims to identify appropriate situations and apply idioms and proverbs in different regions of Vietnam to teaching mathematics. The researchers selected 1155 expressions related to mathematics from many typical pieces of research on idioms and proverbs in Vietnam. After surveying 1822 teachers three times in many provinces and cities in all 3 regions of Vietnam: the North, the Central and the South, the researchers have classified the data according to the criteria from closed to open-ended questions. The results show a prominent level of interest (level 4/5) of all teachers participating in the survey, and there is no difference in the effectiveness in the three regions, but there is a clear difference in regions in using idioms and proverbs. Particularly, identifying situations to teach geometric and quantitative knowledge, as well as probability and statistics, allows one to apply idioms and proverbs at a high level. It is concluded that if idioms and proverbs from Vietnamese regions are appropriately selected and applied in teaching mathematics in primary schools, they will contribute to improving students' mathematical ability and preserving the national cultural heritage. Doi: 10.28991/ESJ-2022-SIED-015 Full Text: PDF