India’s lost math advantage
The discovery of the decimal system and the invention of ZERO mounts the courage of Indians with pace and priority among the global audience. The country today needs more of concerned teachers to explore the art of paving the intelligence among the masses. Two ones’ are two becomes the vocabulary of gone years with preface towards making MATHS a ROUTE to routine learning. It sounds particularly of pride but laminates the showcasing of talents otherwise if the child has the aura of MATHS as a talent.
It is a new day today when the Maths Lab concept has been liquated within schools after the CBSE instructions to make learning fun and inspiring for the students. No wonder with the advent of computers, the learning capacity of the children has taken a new phase of mopping the intelligent calculations via the machine rather than the THOUGH in action. But certainly through digital labs in schools which make the arithmetic stronger through practice comes with pride to the learners in particular. Keeping the pace the MATHS journey has performed with a new lusture via Next Education making the lab a place where students can learn and explore mathematical concepts and verify mathematical facts and theorems through a variety of activities using different materials referred to as derivatives under the guidance of the software or the teacher who activates as a full time facilitator. The activities are designed to be carried out by the student to explore, to learn, to stimulate interest and develop favourable attitude towards mathematics.
To march with the glory of mathematical intelligence, the CBSE had initiated a number of steps to make teaching and learning of mathematics at school stage activity-based and experimentation oriented. In addition to issuing directions to its affiliated schools to take necessary action in this regard, a document on ‘Mathematics Laboratory in Schools – towards joyful learning ’ was brought out by the Board and made available to all the schools. And it is on these requisites that the tools have been developed to give a pace to learning with ease of understanding for the children.
To provide the best of practice these labs play a pivotal role to provide an opportunity to students to understand and internalize the basic mathematical concepts through concrete objects and situations. It also enables the students to verify or discover several geometrical properties and facts using models or by paper cutting and folding techniques and above all also helps the students to build interest and confidence in learning the subject. But to promote the use of this extra learning there is a concern towards teacher training and their deviation from the Chalk and the Duster pattern of teaching to the switch over to practical based learning via derivatives in particular. Open to the concern lies the importance of success at large in developing more of Arya Bhatts’ and Sakuntala Devis’ but the spark has to be fed via the parents who ultimately sponsor interest among their wards. When a child has an aid to solve problem that is always available in the mathematics laboratory, his self-confidence is increased, because he does not need to depend on the fallibility of this memory. There is too much of business via Vedic Maths/ ABACUS which has created an aura for itself among the students with a success rate by parents as good and progressive, no wonder with the inception of Maths Labs as a compulsory tool to explore and a place to visit for heaven or a Macca for Maths is a no issue at all.
Kudos to the learners at pace to perfection as benchmarking with kids of tomorrow gathers courage with the preface of more than 65% of today’s children are expected to work for a career option which does not exist today ! The use of labs dignified with Maths tend to provide an opportunity to exhibit the relatedness of mathematical concepts with everyday life.
Maths, Maths, Maths, Oh…my GOD ! must not be the explorage but a gone say by majority of the students. But what is needed is an environment in schools which allows and encourages the students to think, discuss with each other and the teacher and assimilate the concepts in a more effective manner. To be effective learner in Maths the scenario must be alive, vibrant, relevant and meaningful; a program that paves the way to seek and understand the world around them.
The learning today has taken a new path with e-pavement via digital solutions at march to govern the learning and is generally monitored with exception of learning under the guidance of the teacher but only if guaranteed with excellence of ICT framework or the children do scatter the learning saying “Sir…this is already in the book, tell us something new ! “ to the surprise of many in particular. And now learning in the new LAB based scenario, the importance is ignited via giving adequate weightage to practical knowledge, with well stocked series of fun games and models to enable the children to learn and earn the confidence with pride and honour !!
