Concept Note For Mathematics Laboratory

Concept Note For Mathematics Laboratory

                                                                               -  By Vipula Abhyankar

Introduction

Mathematics reflects the peak of abstraction in human thinking.  Paradoxically, this peak turns into a prick for most of the students at any level of education.

Mathematics is perceived to be the most difficult subject for understanding by students, despite a high scoring by some, mostly through a rigorous practice.  They perceive mathematics as the subject of ‘hitting something to the point of right or wrong’ almost by chance. Once one starts getting it wrong they lose interest in learning. While on the other hand, a few students learn enough tricks to ‘get something right’ to pass the exam.

Mathematics teaching in schools today is text book dominated. Class room teaching has its own limitations. It is taught in the schools as a set of rules in total isolation from the real world we live in. It becomes burdensome as these rules are not made visible in the world or the objects around. Endless repetition, meaningless memorization and the loss of worldly relation are a few reasons generating negative attitudes towards mathematics. No wonder mathematics becomes the odd man and sometimes even a fearful monster for the children.

Importance of Mathematics

Mathematics converts the mountains of facts into small grains of understanding. It, in fact, is a training in logical thinking. Mathematics provides models for developing a scientific structure, deriving conclusions, solving problems and thus shapes the entire compass of thinking.

The immense value of conceptual clarity and its philosophical foundation, which falls beyond the scope of mathematics, can never be underestimated in human life. However, denial of access to good mathematical skills amounts to exclusion from most professions and research in any field today. A child who is not comfortable with mathematics, is sure to feel handicapped in the world of pure science, engineering, medicine, pharmacy commerce, banking, administration, economics, sociology management and even agriculture etc. In fact, all administrative functions today demand good quantitative skills, which are the basis of rational decision making. Without mathematical skills and understanding, one is forced to accept second class citizenship leading a life of subordination.

Purpose of a Mathematics Laboratory

Learning mathematics involves thinking with reason and logic. It is necessary to understand how formulae are derived and applied. In order to facilitate meaningful learning of mathematics, it is necessary to reduce the learning process to a bearable minimum level of abstraction.

It is out of this insight, that a Mathematics Laboratory for students becomes a necessity.

Mathematics laboratory is a place to learn and enjoy mathematics through informal exploration. A Mathematical Laboratory provides an opportunity for the students to discover mathematical laws through activities. Such activities present a problem or a challenge, with a possibility of generating further challenges and problems. The activities help students visualize, conceptualize, manipulate and reason. A wide range of activities are arranged to  absorb the students with varying proficiency leading them to conceptual clarity. They provide opportunity to make conjectures and test them, and also to generalize observed patterns. It is a place for anyone to put a new problem and struggle in search of an answer. It is a space to explore and design new mathematical activities too. It is not merely a place of repetition and absorption but a space for creation and exploration. It permeates enthusiasm and joy rather than compliance and submission.

The role of a teacher or facilitator in a Mathematics laboratory is not to teach, but to facilitate inquiry in mathematics. This could either be done by posing probing questions, offering an extra resource or asking to discuss with peers.

The Objectives of Mathematics Laboratory

·         To make mathematics teaching and learning relevant to experience and joyful for the students.

·         To make the students realise that the mathematical laws are sourced and derived from the real world of experience and not the other way round.

·         To provide readily accessible rich manipulative materials for “learning through activities”.

·         To concretize the abstract mathematical concepts.

·         To help the students develop faculty of research by observation, analysis and drawing logical inferences.  

·         To reach out to intervene positively into the current practices and conduct of  mathematics education in the schools and colleges.

·         To train and enable the teachers and education managements to adopt the approach and methods of Learning Mathematics through  Activities

·         To encourage educational institutions and the Government to simulate and multiply the ideas of Mathematical Laboratory.

Conduct of a Mathematics Laboratory

Mathematics laboratory is an activity based project, wherein child is placed in problem solving situation through self exploration and discovery.  It provides a solution based on his/ her experience, needs and interest.

The actual form and conduct of a Mathematics laboratory would include:

·         Providing scope for greater co-ordination of mind and hand to facilitate deeper cognition through compliance of various tasks using creatively the material available.

·         Providing students with  models or designs made  by paper cutting and folding technique so as to make children  realize the basic properties of, interrelation between various  geometrical figures and forms.

·         Providing opportunity to exhibit the relatedness of mathematical concepts with everyday life through specially designed mathematical kits, stories, toys, games, puzzles.

·         Providing the teachers or facilitators with concrete objects, models, charts, graphs, pictures, posters etc. to demonstrate, explain and reinforce the understanding of abstract mathematical ideas.

·         Providing a space for the students brain storming sessions making them think and discuss collectively to develop and assimilate the concepts effectively.

·         Withering  progressively  the sharp dividing lines between teaching and learning though a common platform of collective thinking and exploration.

Materials and Equipments for a Mathematics Laboratory

For the effective functioning at a mathematics laboratory, it should be well equipped. A mathematics laboratory should contain the following type of materials and equipments.

·         Materials  - Beads, seeds, pebbles, sticks, ropes, threads, ball pits, scissors, pins, cardboard, board pins, chart paper, grid notebooks,  graph paper etc. inclusive of every object helpful for demonstrating elementary mathematical concepts.

·         Mathematical kits –Place value kit (Ones Tens, Hundreds kit), bead’s number line, jodo blocks, straw and connector kit, currency kit, mathe-mat, fraction kit, geo-board, abacus etc. useful to understand the basic concepts in mathematics.

·         Measuring and Weighing instruments - The instruments used for measuring and weighing such as meter scales, measuring tapes, balances of different types, measuring jar and graduated cylinder.

·         Drawing instruments - Sets of drawing instruments like drawing sheets of various types and sizes, pencil, brush, colours, marker pens, compass, rulers, protractors etc. required for drawing sketches, designs etc.

·         Mathematical Games and Puzzles – Playing mathematical games and solving mathematical puzzles to enjoy mathematics as a subject, to understand the concept deeper and getting rid of fear of mathematics.

·         Instructional materials - Instructional materials to help students use the material and kits in the laboratory. These materials should also facilitate effective teaching and pleasant learning.

·         Brain Storming Exercise Sheets – This is a very necessary and important material for mathematics laboratory. This will enhance the teaching learning process when adequately and appropriately used. Different sets of problems for each concept should be made available for students of different standards. These problem sets should keep on changing periodically. There should be some provision in these exercise sets for weak students as well as for talented students.

·         Space for extempore activities - A specially allotted space sufficient to perform different, extempore mathematical experiments for the purpose of discovering certain mathematical principles, patterns or process.

·         Models - Various mathematical models offering opportunities for students to explore and investigate .

·         Black Board and white board - A black and white boards for writing instructions, drawing geometrical figures and illustrations necessary for performing the laboratory work.

·         Pictures and Charts – Pictures, history and biographic of mathematicians, charts showing contributions of mathematics toward the growth and progress of human civilization to inspire the students and relate present with the past and individual with the society.

Training of Teachers and Facilitators

Considering the nature, objectives and functioning of the mathematics laboratory, it is essential to orient, empower, and motivate the teachers and facilitators rigorously and continuously. Such a programme would consist of one week intensive training followed by one-day sessions every six weeks. The strength of the ‘Learning Mathematics through activities’ lies exclusively in the internalization of this approach not only into the thinking , but into the DNA of teacher facilitator . It is possible by a continuous self critical but joyful, self-improvement. Once initiated, the system can constantly improve through this process.

To Conclude

Such a lab project is a mission to turn the tide of current teaching and learning process in mathematics.  No wonder, to realise its potential, it demands apart from a physical space and material, a long term commitment understanding the value of the new approach.