By Our Staff Reporter
.There is more to the "number
game'' than just getting the calculations right. That is perhaps
the reason why Delhi University's prestigious St.Stephen's College
has now come up with a novel way to ensure that top scores in
mathematics "sum" up to be good mathematical brains
too.
Going back to basics, the Mathematical Science Foundation of
the college is now busy ensuring that students get their basics
right in school to avoid problems at higher levels. From holding
special seminars and workshops for college students on the subjects,
the focus now is on school where the foundation feels mathematics
is not taught in the right scientific spirit.
"Our
college has always received the top scoring students from cross
the country. But despite their great marks, the foundation of
many was not as strong as it should have been. Although such
students continue to score high by mugging formulae, they are
not really understanding the concept. Which is why the improvement
has to be at schools,'' said Manika Aggarwal, the Deputy Director
of the Foundation.
Which is where the idea of setting up resource centres in schools
came in. Apart from teaching mathematics in a more enjoyable
way, the resource centre hopes to act as a learning ground for
students wanting it to experiment with the subject and willing
to move beyond formulae. |
"What we want to do is to change the way
students look at mathematics. We let students make formulae
instead of telling them how to go about it. Students need concept
clearance and that is exactly what we are hoping to do through
the recourse centre,'' Dr. Aggarwal said.
While the Foundation already had a resource centre at Tagore
International School and Vasant Valley School, they have now
added The Indian School to their list. From hands on experience
to workshops, the resource centre is an attempt to help combat
the fear of mathematics.
With the National Council for Educational Research and Training
(NCERT) having already presented schools with the model of a
Math’s Lab, the Foundation feels schools will have to
ensure that students get their basics right in the much important
subject. And with more and more schools moving towards the direction
to remove the dread of mathematics form the minds of students,
the Foundation hopes to carve out a bigger role for itself.
"The problem in schools seems to be that the teachers are
under too much pressure to finish the curriculum on time rather
than getting to the depth of a problem. There is too much to
be finished and in the end and students end up simply mugging
formulae. We want them to know that mathematics can be fun and
logical. As of now we are hoping to set up a few hubs of mathematics
at various places and are looking at e-tutorial to help students
with mathematics problem," added Dr. Aggarwal.
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