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Math
In Technicolour
Math
should be colourful, hands on and fun. Here are some
teaching learning material that can make it happen. At
home, and in School.
text:
Amruta
Patil and Luke
Haokip
inputs from Rachna Chawla, Pooja Sukhpal
4
Roll the Dice, Learn
a Concept
Pic
Above: Ganit Mala
 Admittedly, one of the most puzzling commands in class
during my school days was “Work in a group.” I could
never see how four heads huddled together but working
with fiercely competitive seclusion - could ever amount
to ‘group work’. The smart kids formed one tight
huddle. The rest of the ‘group’ tried to peer over
their elbows. That is precisely the sort of thing that
teaching-learning material (TLM) like Jodo’s card
games (they have 2-3 different kinds) and ‘Searching
for Hundred’ will not let you do. These are games
designed for a group, and, surprise surprise - they are
actually fun to play. Many times over.
So, the specialised dice in the card games need you to
make a fast calculation here, a fast ‘connection’
with number patterns there - before you can move on to
the next step. On the flip side of the draw cards are
pictures of famous mathematicians that you will
eventually notice.
In ‘Searching for Hundred’, the journey of pretty
Kasturi (who wears a red hibiscus in her hair) through
the jungle is as poignant as the snake-infested board
with its unfamiliar number placement, designed to
sharpen numeral recognition and the understanding of
number systems.
Pic
Above: Dienes Blocks
Curriculum developer Pooja Sukhpal recommends Jodo
material for junior school Math Labs. The material, she
feels, is durable and economical enough to be used even
in schools that have a paucity of funds (The kits are
priced at as low as Rs. 150). The Ganitmala (which helps
develop a feel for the decimal system, and is a great
way to teach math tables), Rangometry, and the Jodo
Blocks are her personal favourites. “Other subjects
fare a little better because of the interesting
resources one gets to teach it with. There was, in
comparison, a shortage of such resources for
Mathematics.” feels Pooja.
“Most of this material can be used in many different
ways - depending on the resourcefulness of the teacher.
It can really help make things lively in class, rather
than having to rely on nothing but chalk and board.’
says Shaji.
And how! n
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