Skip to main content

Mathematics and Life 63 Why are 12 cells important ?

 Why are 12 cells important ?


  In one of my posts, I discussed the breakthrough concepts of dividing the entire 1 to 10th maths content into 12 cells the 12 cell concept.


Let's now see what are advantages in treating the school maths content like this over the traditional ways.


  1. Skill based syllabus Changing the entire content from pure academic to its being skill based makes a powerful shift of emphasis in terms of making the teaching - learning more applied and related to life. The early introduction of reasoning will give structural scope to open different higher facets of intelligence like visualisation, imagination, critical thinking, computational thinking, developing problem solving skills. The biggest advantage of breaking the syllabus into skill sets will be to end the stereotypes of relating syllabus with age and grade. Once the skill based content, evaluation, teaching stuff is ready, a 50 year old can go for learning elementary algebra, a competition aspirant may just buy an advanced reasoning course module instead of spending on entire course.

  2. The language - maths interface It is no brainer that students find it very difficult to understand statement sums or story or case study problems. They either leave them en block or write tips or just memorise the clues to reach the answers. Unfortunately, many parents and even teachers too give the students leading clues instead of asking them to develop concept and understand the language of the sums. The pure arithmetic to algebra transition of course also happens without due understanding of the need to generalise. Already scared of the family stories of adventure with algebra, the child develops a fear for the unknown. The Elementary Algebra cell introduced right through standard 1 to 5th will develop the key skills of understanding what is given and how to state a problem in terms of mathematical statements and vice - versa. 

  3. New skill sets The curriculum envisages introduction of hitherto unknown, unheard of, unused, but truly important skills of estimation of length, time, weight, volume, money…..the skills of drawing a rough diagram, reading simple graphs, putting data into tables, using Google forms to collect, analyse data, read, interpret simple pathology reports, see thermometer readings …..

  4. Mathematical games, puzzles, quizzes to develop and then to assess  different levels of the skill attainment and proficiency 


I offer myself to assist, associate, with any and all efforts to make the school mathematics more skill based. 


Dr Prakash Moghe

Beyond Abacus ™


8085906062, 7489447223

drpnmoghe@gmail.com



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Mathematics and Life 1 Introduction to the article series by Beyond Abacus

Purpose of the series is to explain various basic mathematics concepts in simple language connecting concepts to examples from life,business, science, day to day life. It will be our special emphasise to develop what Dr. Prakash Moghe calls the math - language interface. That is, showing similarity between the words used in daily language and mathematics like point, ray, interest and so on......     Audience This series of posts is for everyone who wants to understand, learn, revise, apply maths concepts, formulae, and wants to develop Problem Solving Approach, critical thinking, design thinking, and mathematical thinking. Agewise , from age 6 to the time one wants to learn / revise / teach basic maths will find these posts useful in their own ways. Frequency of posts At least one post a day has been planned. Length of posts Each post will be self content, so will be long enough to elaborate the point and short enough to keep the reader engaged. The reach Each post wil...
13 comments
Read more

Mathematics and Life 2 About me - Early Childhood to formating years

  Overview  Past   36 years I have been a maths classroom teacher by choice.  Childhood and family Born in a Maharashtrian Bramhin family in 1960, with father being a medical doctor, childhood was very blissfully ignorant of the ground realities of the world. Being a government doctor with zero PR activities, I continue the trend, transfer or long posting in tribal areas was a norm. We spent 6 years in Bastar district in early 1970s. One of the most interesting things to recall is we three brothers often used to sit and talk a lot in Hindi. In the presence of parents, we three used to interchangeably toggle Hindi - Marathi. Hindi with brothers, Marathi with parents. In 8th standard, the elder brother school fee was a whopping 30 paise per month, my huge fee was 15 paise per month and the third had to pay nothing in the Government Multi purpose school Bastar. Moving to Indore To reduce the stressful impact of transfers on our studies, in 1976 myself and elder bro...
14 comments
Read more

Mathematics and Life 4 Mathematics as just a computational tool

  The importance of definition  I would like to discuss how the policy makers', parent body, school administrators, investors', teachers' perception of what is it to be good at maths ? affects the students and ultimately the workforce, industry, economy in general. 1. Mathematics as a computational tool    This is the current, popular perception of knowing maths. Our classroom teachings, examination system, wide spread tutoring, coaching business all tend to develop, appreciate, the skill of reaching one unique answer as fast as possible. The Abacus or its various versions, as a training tool are classic examples of this. Students are expected to be too good at a skill in past 61 years of life I have not needed. I ask the readers, how often, if at all, you needed to find 5813 x 3876 infraction of a minute and that too accurately ? I bet never. But, just as a ritual, under peer pressure children go year after year to learn something which is first of all not needed at...
8 comments
Read more