JOIN USWhen children sit on their desks staring at the blackboard for long, there is a tendency to lose interest. Especially so if it is Mathematics, a subject that most students don’t seem to enjoy. Hence, it is a challenging task for Maths teachers to make the process interesting and transfer the knowledge and techniques effectively. Needless to say, teachers require the right ambience and infrastructure for the purpose.
One such school that has successfully removed the ‘fear factor’ from Maths is the Government High School in Nada Village, Beltangady taluk. When you step into this school you will come to know how Mathematics can be fun. The students here have a ‘Maths World’, a Mathematics laboratory that was created by their Maths teacher, Yakoob S. The lab is first-of-its- kind facility owned by a government school in the State. This lab facilitates students to understand, discover and verify basic mathematical, specifically geometrical concepts, through concrete objects and situations, thus building interest and confidence in students.
The lab has all the modern facilities including EyeRIS interactive devices, a projector, LED TV, Maths models, tools and photographs of famous mathematicians to inculcate interest among students. The lab would enable the students to verify geometric properties and facts using models or by paper cutting and folding techniques. One can also find a collection of games, puzzles and other teaching and learning materials here. The lab provides an opportunity for the students to solve mathematical problems at one place. The lab is eco-friendly too as it has a solar connection.
Yakoob, a resident of Koyyur village, has been a Maths teacher with this school for the past 19 years. A true and dedicated teacher, he made up his mind to bring a change in the way Maths is perceived and started working hard to realise it. As his school completed 25 years of service last year, he shared his idea of developing a Math lab to the alumni of the school. Moreover, he successfully used the social media to reach out to more people. Through this he was able to pool in materials worth Rs 4 lakh and Rs 5 lakh in cash. Additionally, the local MLA released Rs 3 lakh for this purpose. Local organisations like the Bar Association, Beltangady, Rotary Club, Beltangady, and SELCO Solar Private Limited also came forward to support this noble cause.
“Maths World is a self-explanatory lab where students can come anytime and engage in the work, continue working on the problems and seek help from teachers as and when required. In this way, the role of the teacher is not to teach how to progress in an activity, but to instill curiosity and self-learning. It could be done either by asking questions or through discussions with peers,” elaborates Yakoob.
The students are happy about this facility. “It provides an opportunity for us to relate mathematical concepts to everyday life and makes it easy to grasp the concepts,” feels Megha Rai, a Class 10 student. Echoing her sentiments is Shourin Begam, a Class 9 student, who says, “This laboratory helps us overcome Math phobia and makes the subject more interesting.”
Another interesting facility that is being developed in the school is a ‘Maths Garden’, to help students learn mathematical symbols and shapes in a novel way. The school’s laboratory attracts visitors, mainly teachers and students from all over the State.