Rashmi Kathuria
Some people think that Mathematics is meant for those who have great mental ability. However, with a decade and a half of teaching math behind me, I beg to differ. There is, no doubt, a fear in many students about learning this subject; this, I found, was due to the traditional “chalk and talk” methodology of teaching mathematics, which is not sufficient to achieve the goals of teaching/learning of mathematics. Using this method by itself can create a gap between the student and the learning of the subject. There is a dire need to change our teaching/learning approaches if we want to help students who are “not able to do mathematics” up to the expected level.
As a teacher, I am always seeking new strategies to teach/learn mathematics. In this connection, I attended a workshop organised by CII Shiksha at one of the DAV schools in Delhi, to facilitate the integration of information and communication technology in education. The participants were introduced to the dynamic world of e-learning, and given a demonstration on using Moodle, an open-source software, in education. We were also given some pre-developed subject content that we could use straightaway, as well as basic training on how to create our own content.
Rashmi Kathuria is a P.G.T. (Mathematics) and teaches at the Kulachi Hansraj Model School, New Delhi. She can be reached at mathclass_khms@yahoo.co.in
