Let us teach mathematics effectively, let us teach mathematics to apply
The problem of students’ understanding and mastering mathematics is currently one of the most emphasized topics of expert public discussion. Mathematics is a specific subject. Having mathematical knowledge does not mean only to know definitions, sentences, algorithms or formulas. It is only the first step. The key competencies are to understanding of their mutual context, and ability to apply mathematics for solution of the problems of the life. If we want to teach mathematics more effectively, we need to use the new methods, forms and means of teaching as: the attractive applications, the adequate visualizations, contextual teaching, and observation based learning. A pedagogical experiment, whose results are stated in this article, was realised during the academic year 2015/2016 on the University of Zilina. After using the new alternative forms of teaching the subject Mathematics 1 we carried out a pedagogical experiment. The aim of this experiment was to find out whether this implementation of new methods would have a positive influence on the student’s attitudes to mathematics.