Report and Pics from Rons Bantwal
Daijiworld Media Network – Mumbai (RD/SP)
Mumbai, Jul 8: Launching a breakthrough initiative that aims at making the vital subject of Mathematics simpler, easier and fun to learn for school students, NIIT, leading global talent development institute, on Tuesday July 7, installed the metro’s first ever NIIT eGuru Math Lab, at SVDD School, Ghatkopar, here.
Dr Inder Kumar Rana, professor of IIT Mumbai, inaugurated the revolutionary concept in the presence of L Balasubramanian, president of NIIT School Learning Solutions, Manjula S Shah, president of SVDD School, Vrudhichand S Shah, vice-president of SVDD School, Chandrakant D Shah and Vaman J Mehta, secretary of SVDD School, Kantilal Gosar and Ratanshi L Chheda, treasurer of SVDD School.
NIIT eGuru Math Lab, a novel concept, enables the school students to learn and explore mathematical concepts and verify mathematical facts and theorems, using tools such as the Geometer’s Sketchpad. This is a dynamic construction and exploration tool that spans the mathematical curriculum from Class I to II PUC, being made available to Indian schools, jointly by NIIT.
On inaugurating the NIIT eGuru Math Lab, Inder Kumar Rana said, “mathematics has always been considered a difficult subject and favourite of only a few. Our present education system does not allow interactive learning but concepts like NIIT eGuru Math Lab will go a long way in making the learning more interactive and interesting for the students.”
Speaking at the launch of NIIT eGuru Math Lab, Manjula S Shah said, “we believe in imparting basics of a subject to students that helps them comprehend the subject better. Innovative concept of NIIT eGuru Math Lab will make the difficult subject of Mathematics simpler and exciting to learn for our students.”
L Balasubramanian said that NIIT believes in providing practical learning solutions for the students. NIIT eGuru Math Lab is another initiative to make the present curriculum interesting and interactive, thereby bringing back the joy of learning Mathematics.’
Following the NCERT guidelines indicating that mathematics would be treated as a prime focus area in schools till 2010, the state board in Hyderabad has committed itself to making the learning of subjects enjoyable and stress-free, and in the case of Mathematics, more visually appealing to enable better learning. In line with this mission, CBSE has issued directives to all schools following the CBSE curriculum, to install a Math Lab for promoting the subject. CBSE has also directed that 20 percent of the marks have to be allocated to each student from the Lab Assessments, towards the final marks.
In addition to providing greater scope for individual participation in the process of learning and becoming autonomous learners, the Math Lab also enables the teacher to demonstrate, explain and reinforce abstract mathematical ideas by using concrete objects, models, charts, graphs, pictures, posters, etc.
NIIT eGuru Math Lab offers multiple teaching and learning aids, comprising of technology applications, videos, measuring instruments, tables and charts, to schools. Based on the three pillars of imagination, investigation and interaction, it provides an opportunity to students to understand, internalize, discover and verify the basic mathematical and geometrical concepts through concrete objects and situations, thus building interest and confidence in students for learning the subject. The laboratory also allows and encourages the students to think, discuss amongst themselves as well as with the teacher, and assimilate concepts.