By Daniel Oluyinka Bello & Adamu Maidugu
Abstract
The conceptual understanding of Mathematics enables students to handle logical and complex information throughout their lives. So, a Mathematics Laboratory set up in any school should be a formal environment where Mathematical concepts are made fully explicit and, the environment should be such that the user can create and explore mathematics and learn on his own and make his/her own assessment. This opinion paper is about students’ self-exploration and discovery through the use of mathematics laboratory; it provides an opportunity for the students to discover through doing. In many of the activities, students learn to deal with problems while doing concrete activity, which lays down a base for more abstract thinking. The activities in the mathematics laboratory should be appealing to a wide range of people, of different ages and varying mathematical proficiency. The activities help students to visualize, manipulate and reason. They provide opportunity to make conjectures and test them, and to generalize observed patterns. The paper highlighted the importance of Mathematics laboratory as a place to design new mathematical activities, and enjoy mathematics through informal exploration. And hence, takes students’ knowledge beyond the curriculum.