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 Living Math in School: A Beyond Abacus™ Perspective

Globally, mastering the fundamentals of reading, writing, and arithmetic is a core part of education. In India, there are currently over 200 million students in schools who need to learn mathematics. It is therefore crucial to examine important aspects of school mathematics.

What does it mean to understand mathematics? Generally, if students can perform basic operations like addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, they are deemed proficient in math, and everyone is satisfied, especially if board exam results are consistently good.

However, as forward-thinking citizens, educators have a duty to define what it truly means to know mathematics. We aim for students to effectively use technology, excel in business and agriculture, and make informed choices. Achieving this in a technology-driven world requires embracing a broad definition of mathematics that is process-oriented. This helps students engage with mathematics in their environment, see its relevance and intrigue, and understand its importance.

At Beyond Abacus, the initiative behind these writings, we believe mathematics involves recognizing, understanding, appreciating, creating, and utilizing patterns in everyday life, business, science, work, and technology. This inclusive definition grounds mathematics teaching strategies in students' interests and links learning processes to real life.

Implications of the New Perspective

Understanding mathematics through this broadened view affects every aspect of teaching and learning processes and influences everyone involved. Accepting this inclusive definition of knowing math has significant effects on educational methods, making them more student-centered and inclusive. These methods appeal to students with varying intelligence levels and ways of interpreting reality.

Practically, a teacher from Beyond Abacus would invest more effort in developing the notion of weight rather than solely focusing on weight conversion. For example, a teacher might guide students to estimate how much a mobile phone or a glass of milk weighs or compare the weight of a bucket of water to that of wheat or flour.

This teaching approach helps students see that what they learn is practical and connected to everyday life. It also allows them to learn at their own pace, create personalized examples, collaborate, and express their ideas.

To foster data handling skills, students can be assigned tasks like interpreting ECG and pathology report tables. Activities like these enable students to recognize mathematics as the science of patterns in daily life.

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