Let there be Maths,Language and Learning!

Just came across this book called  'Calculus Made Easy' by Silvanus P Thompson. Wonderful initiative by the author to bring maths to language and vice versa. I sincerely feel that the teachers need a connection with the students at the language front. We must put some meaningful words into their mouths to help them understand and feel what they're learning. For this we the teachers must for some time or at the onset leave the puritan approach and let our hair loose on the subject. The dogma can be easily replaced be pragma. 
Language should be more connecting,  contemporary and comprehensive. For example, for a Hindi medium student entering the college , the word 'arbitrary' which is so frequently used in maths doesn't  have any meaning. He has not used it before and what he used in Hindi also did not come from the language he spoke. The Hindi word for Arbitrary is Abheesht. No better than Arbitrary for the poor soul!  Where is the understanding? So in a way, a maths teacher many a times during a lecture requires to be a language teacher as well.Quite a task to accomplish but achievable. The mathematics classroom should be anything but like an operation theatre and the student like the patient. All I want to say is that when talking to a novice why spread terror by using 'myocardiac infarction' instead of 'heart attack'! The situation will be worse due to the fear of unknown. Perhaps heart attack would still look like a situation that may be handled.  A subject like mathematics, which is so fundamental to life must be ushered in a cordial manner. Grave body language, scary facial expressions and lofty communication ruin the reception of the subject. Let us be articulate, crisp but eloquent too. Let us be more welcoming and accepting. 
However it is good to see the change at the primary level where the books are becoming more user - friendly with far better illustrations . But it should not stop at just books. Allow me to put it this way that the service provider (I mean in a genuine way) for the subject i.e. the teacher shall also have to be user friendly. And it is not difficult to receive for someone who understands the need to learn mathematics, someone who loves mathematics and definitely for someone who sees mathematics everywhere. Let us learn a few marketing and advertising tricks to sell mathematics so that we can build a better generation with sound brains and hearts! For that the first tool is the Language,

Comments

  1. Arohi21 August 2018 at 22:56

    Very true...actually a real teacher is the one who can understand the level of the student n come to that level for teaching.Maths is still a nightmare for many of the students n language plays a vital role in it .so by keeping oyr language easy we can atleaat reduce the difficulty level a bit.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

सरपरस्ती

सरपरस्ती की ज़रूरत बढ़ती है उम्र के साथ , सिर पर पड़ती धूप से बचा ले कोई बुज़ुर्ग हाथ। वो आँखें जो मेरी राह की निगहबान हों , जिन्हें राह की मुश्किलों का भान हो।। बालों की चाँदी जो दे दे आँखों में चमक , हर जलन सीने की कर दें जो बरफ़। काँपते हाथ जो फेरे जाएँ सिर पे , तानी नसों को खोल दें फिर से।। बैठ कर पास जिनके समय थम जाए , बातों से जिनकी दिल में मिठास घुल जाए। इतना आराम बस एक ही जगह मिलता है , माँ - पिताजी के साये में वाक़ई कितना सुकून मिलता है।। - पायल   फ़रवरी २८ , २०१९
Read more

The Dogma of Mathematics

I teach Mathematics to Business Administration Students. Each academic year begins with students terrified of Mathematics , hating it. I too began as a strict mathematics teacher ....only to realize that it would not work. For Maths is far more than just a subject , it is a much deeper philosophy and potent to bring people into self realization.  Why are so many children so afraid  of it? The reason is pretty much the same as it is with the religion. The custodians have made it this way. We, the teachers,  must make a conscious effort to make this subject visual and experiential. While doing so, it is most important to maintain a user-friendly interface also . This alone can help make students loose their apprehensions and anxieties about the subject and come forward to explore it in its true essence!
Read more