The foundation of modern mathematics was India’s gift to the world. Mathematics as we see today is heavily indebted to discoveries made by ancient Indian mathematicians. Even in the modern times we had great geniuses like Ramanujan who made significant contribution to the world of mathematics and science. However, mathematics has also been one of the most feared subjects for ages. The fear prevents students from enjoying the beauty and fun of mathematics. The complexity of mathematical formulae and the detailed calculations is the biggest reasons behind this fear. A math lab in Balrampur district of Chhattisgarh is contributing significantly to the process of eliminating this fear.
The math lab was started in the Balrampur district library in 2018. Students are brought to visit the lab in batches from schools within a radius of 5 km. A total of 25 Primary, Middle and High schools in the radius send their students to the lab regularly. 20 students from a school are sent on a pre-scheduled day once in a month. In order to maintain the regular classes in the schools, it is ensured that the schools or their students are not burdened with too frequent visits.
The Students are accompanied by their maths teacher who become co-facilitators along with the Maths Lab instructors for a batch of students. This helps ensure the continuity of the regular classroom teaching and that the particular teacher’s specific pedagogy isn’t completely unaccounted for while adopting new ways of teaching. The accompanying maths teacher, during the visit also learns teaching in simpler and more interesting ways. This ensures that both the teachers and the students are benefited from the visits.
At present, six regular Teachers from nearby government schools are working as instructors during the Lab visit timings of 2:30 – 4 PM on voluntary basis. They have also been instrumental in setting up the lab and preparing the tutorials and instruction methods.
The lab has been equipped with chess boards, kid’s story books, and comics, interesting wall paintings and drawings related to maths to catch the imagination of the students.
Till now, almost 100 Maths teachers and 200 Students have made scheduled visits to the lab. The administration’s objective is to make scheduled visits of all maths teachers from the District (around 500) by the end of Oct ’18. The scheduled visits would continue in batches of 20 every day for students from Balrampur block of the District.
The response to the Math Lab has been phenomenal both among students and teachers. While the students have experienced a new approach to mathematics in the lab, the teachers have also learnt various new methods of making mathematics easier for the students.
The administration also plans to develop the Maths Lab as a centre of excellence for teaching and learning maths and coaching students for events such as Mathematics Olympiad. The Maths Lab is also planned to be developed as a Chess academy for students. Similar Maths Labs are also being planned in every block of the district for teachers and students.
