Dr SN Gananath
It is unfortunate but true. Most of the times when teachers and children are engaged in maths classes what they do is to make a few mathematical noises and very little ‘real’ maths. There are a number of misconceptions – not just about a few mathematical concepts taught in schools but about mathematics as a body of knowledge. It is essential to examine these issues and address them. Otherwise, precious hours are wasted year after year.
You must be aware of a number of programmes run by various agencies to improve school maths but a closer examination reveals that they usually do not address these important problems but focus on the symptoms. This is really disappointing. Anyway, what are these issues?
The author works with Suvidya, an educational resource group, in Bangalore. He can be reached at sngananath@gmail.com.