| 5. Mathematics Laboratory and Material
In addition to materials used for teaching specific concepts, we are also developing a number of activities and puzzles for creating a math laboratory for middle schools, as requested by the Chennai Corporation. Accordingly, we have identified eight different topics in which to prepare material. In each topic, we will prepare different types of material like Self-learning kits, Puzzle cards and worksheets, Concept Booklets, Teacher Activity card and Board games. The current list of material available in each topic is given below. We are also including material for which the basic content is ready but is not available in appropriate form (in italics).
| Type of Material |
Available Material in different Topics |
Self
Learning
Kits |
Measurement: 1) Tangram pieces 2)Two-triangle Shapes 3)Tangram-based shapes 4) Large and Small Box Making 5) Area-matching pieces 6) Small unit squares for irregular shape areas.
Geometry:1) Geoboard 2) Shapes Assortment 3) Tetris Game kit
Numbers: 1) 4x4 Jigsaw with operations 2) Jigsaw with order of operations Fractions, Decimals etc. 3) Jigsaw puzzle with Fractions and Decimals 4) Beam balance (from John Holt book) |
| Puzzle Cards & Activity Sheets |
Numbers: 1) Various Number puzzle cards 2) 1-8 square filling 3) Magic triangle |
| Booklets |
1) Number Puzzles with Digital Roots 2) Geometry Puzzles with Tetraminoes |
| Posters |
1) Magic Square |
| Puzzles & Paradoxes |
Measurement: 1) Missing Square Puzzle 2) Leprechaun Puzzle 3) Square Dissection Paradox |
| Board Games |
1) Mastermind- Equations 2) Fraction Game 3) Brick Games |
| Teacher Activity Cards |
1) 4 Circles Activity 2) Guessing the correct number |
In addition to these material, we also use a lot of materials designed by groups such as Navnirmiti and Jodo Gyan and will be replicating some of these for our own kit.
6. Feedback and General Impressions
Overall, there’s been very positive feedback from the teachers on the classes that we have taken in Chennai so far. A few of them have given detailed feedback letters about the classes, and also requesting our material. It is clear that children have had very little opportunity to play with material and are delighted at every opportunity to do so. When we give puzzles and paradoxes, the teachers are as enthusiastic in solving these, as the students! In many cases, they have requested the volunteer taking class to not divulge the answer till they have a go at it.
We started with the idea of teaching particular “concepts”, but then found that it is sometimes difficult to teach specific topics in isolation. For example, when teaching area, confidence in doing multiplication (not just the knowledge of it!) becomes an important factor. Similarly, concepts like symmetry and rotational invariance become important in really understanding area, though some of these ideas must have been learnt in geometry. We find that it is a lot more important to expose children to new kinds of material and activities that they find interesting, than focusing on specific concepts that they are supposed to have learnt.
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