Ganit Shikshya(Math learning & teaching)

Ganit Shikshya
(Math learning & teaching)
How should we Plan

When we see any good wood work in furniture generally we ask who has done it? Who has given the design? But never any rational man asks which cutter did the carpenter use? Because we know cutter has not so many varieties. Normally it has thin & fat blades. In our social life Math is like a cutter. We use math to solve various problem but alone it is useless.

Where is the origin of cutter? Obviously the source is our regular life. As like this math’s origin is our regular life. As example for normal marketing from grocer shop or any other we have to do a lot math the weight, the value, to buy dresses we have to calculate the length etc. In our business to calculate interest & investment to maintain the banking works some math. For constructional work the area of rooms, how many bricks will need? How many pillars will need? How many bags of cement will need? To make doors & windows we have to measure how much wood will need? Car insurance & life insurance need advance calculation of how much money will have to save or pay in different installments. We can assume how much spice will need in normal homely made dishes but to cook for a large number we have to know ratio & percentage. Partnership business & its profit & loss need different types of calculation. So the source of math is our regular social life.

With the help of our education system we teach our Childs & students the mathematics. From class -1 to class-10 our Childs learn mathematics as a compulsory subject. In this 10 years child learn addition, subtraction, multiplication & devidation prime number , compound number, largest number , smallest number, multiplication tables, H.C,F, L.C.M in primary & in secondary algebra, geometry , trigonometry , distance-time, work –time-labor, Measurement, how long will a train take to cross a tree/post, how long two train take to cross each other from opposite direction & from same direction, the boat & current of river etc. Students have to complete the
Syllabuses within one year & at the last students have to attain the annual exam of 100 marks but the syllabus is nothing for few and for some it is like unachievable. Students will get their rewards by the certificates & number. The whole year they practice how will they bring good marks rather than how much will they learn!!!!! Those who couldn’t get the syllabus properly they have to continue with the new syllabus with new challenge in new class.

Lets come to the result after completing the M.P/10TH STANDARD students when come back in real life they are not interested to calculate the value of fishes in the fish market. Not only they their teachers who made them expert about various tough calculations in the artificial classroom they also disinterested about it. Apart from this the calculation of bank interest & the measurement of land & construction our educated 10/12(with math), graduate (with math), M.S.C in math are not interested. They are normally disinterested about this. But why? They claim why do we do this? This is not our job (though it is their own loan/ own building construction). But in reality maximum of them can’t do this. Yes. On the other hand who is completely illiterate/ half literate/ Engineer those who are engage in this job they can do it easily in fish market, in the share market, in the construction field & many other field. Leave the discussion about Engineer. How dose the other two can do it easily? Can you make any difference between the knowledge of those who collect degree in math & the illiterate van pullers/ labor/businessman? What a waste? Why this waste?

In our education system we concentrate in cutter rather than how do we make a good carpenter (man/ citizen). We give more importance in making & introducing about characteristics of cutter. Carpenter has to know how does he use cutter but if he concentrate in cutter then he will be a blacksmith. Otherwise he will leave the mainstream learning. But cutter has some limitation & the blacksmith alone can’t design it. The necessary variation in cutter will come with the direction or necessity of carpenter. May be the carpenter with the help/without help of blacksmith can redesign the cutter. We needn’t make every one as blacksmith.

What is the solution? Firstly I have said the yearly 100 marks compulsory syllabus is unnecessary.We can easily divide the regular life math in some “BAG”. Bag concept is like the class but it will have no time boundary. Students will have no math book. Every bag like BAG-1(Will contain the knowledge of marketing its calculation), BAG-2(Will contain the measurement of land & constructional math), and BAG-3 (Total banking system & its math) up to bag-8 will share the fundamental math of life. Here in this system teacher never give any competition among student. Students never will ask to solve they will have been encouraged to make problem for each other with the help of T.L.M (Teaching learning materials) of the bags. Student never will be given any home task. They will come school freehand because the bag will leave in school after their daily game. Through these bag students never will puzzled the unnecessary prime number, compound number, H.C.F, L.C.M, how long will take by a train ………….., the boat & river’s current etc. But teacher will say or share these types of event like story telling. But no necessary to make expert about calculate these because this type of misuse of our child will make disinterested the real life math. If any student can complete any bag within a short time s/he will be given the new one. On the other hand if any one can’t s/he will not given the next one & s/he will play for a long with the same bag. Teacher will note every thing about the students he will decide whether any math experts are in the child. If s/he feels then s/he prescribes the further reading of math of the child but the students who can’t complete any bag will give another subject. At least the large waste will stop here.

Md Nasrujjaman Sahaji
March-2011
www.mdnasrujjamansahaji.blogspot.com

N: B Carpenters are man/woman, Cutter is Mathematics, and Blacksmiths are mathematician.