The Hindu : New Delhi News : Stephen's help to combat maths phobia

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Nov 26, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

Stephen's help to combat maths phobia

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, NOV. 25. 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 Maths 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 from 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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