Southern States - Tamil Nadu   

Revised mathematics syllabus heavy, vague: experts

By K. Ramachandran

CHENNAI May 18. The draft revised syllabus for mathematics taught in State Government schools needs a few additions and subtractions, say subject experts and veteran academicians.

While the Government decision of putting the draft on the Internet to seek feedback has come in for appreciation, experts feel that the document requires changes. Some new modern mathematical concepts have to be included, they note.

Recently, a group of 22 practising and retired teachers in schools, colleges and university deliberated the draft during a day-long workshop organised by the Association of Mathematics Teachers of India.

The association secretary, M. Mahadevan, said the use of teaching aids/practicals as part of a presentation and evaluation of concepts needed further explanation.

The experts also felt that the vocabulary used was vague and needed modification. For example, the concept of "complex solutions" should be "solutions using complex numbers".

The "weight" of the syllabus was also heavily debated.

For example, the concepts of "housing finance" for classes VII and VIII or "isomorphism" for class IX were too "big" for children to comprehend.

The time allotted by the curriculum planners "to complete the syllabus", especially for Class XI, seemed inadequate.

Mr. Mahadevan said the teachers felt that the textbook writers might interpret the syllabus differently from how framers planned it, which could cause confusion.

The unanimous opinion at the workshop was that the practising teachers should be given orientation to realise the objectives, to interpret the syllabus and to generate excellence in mathematics education in the State.

"We have offered the AMTI's expertise built over 35 years, to work on these issues, so that mathematics education in the State can be improved further," Mr. Mahadevan said.

Noted educator and curator of the Ramanujan Museum in Chennai, P.K. Srinivasan, in a critique, said children's initiative was not recognised in the syllabus and it was entirely teacher-oriented.

`Need for modern attitude'

"A modern attitude to children's readiness and acquisition (of knowledge) through preparatory work involving collection of data, experimental outcomes, etc.. and follow-up work which covers open-ended questions... is conspicuous by its absence," Mr. Srinivasan noted.

Also, the maximum utilisation of geometrical instruments and their shapes relevant to the syllabus had not been covered.

On evaluation methods suggested, he said, it should not stop with written responses to question papers, but needed to cover non-verbal performance such as paper folding, shading or connecting dots.

The syllabus also needs to spell out the portions, which had to be taught, and those, which had to be learnt by children on their own.

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