How to make maths more interesting for Indian students and teachers
Q: Is India losing its advantage in maths to China?
A: This question presumes there is such a thing as a maths advantage, and that we had one over China. I don’t agree on both counts. Some Indians are good at maths, some are not, and we could say the same about China. I don’t see this having changed materially in recent times.
What we should be concerned about — regardless of what happens in China — is the way the average Indian kid grows up with maths. It’s taught by rote, they must learn formulae by heart, questions are discouraged, and all this simply builds up an abiding fear of the subject in too many kids.
This has all kinds of consequences, perhaps above all a poorer understanding of the world around us. That can only harm India.
Q: Is there such a thing as math advantage?
A: As I mentioned above, I don’t agree that there is such an advantage. There are only the consequences of treating maths education with apathy, and thus producing kids who are frightened of the subject for no reason at all.
Q: What are the five things India needs to do to popularise maths and improve scores?
A: 1. Teach our teachers better. Let them feel the joy of maths.
2. Teach our teachers better. Let them feel the joy of maths.
3. Teach our teachers better. Let them feel the joy of maths.
4. Teach our teachers better. Let them feel the joy of maths.
5. Teach our teachers better. Let them feel the joy of maths.
As for the second part of that question, my response is: forget scores. Teach kids well, the scores will come.
Q: If our engineers are so good at maths why are so many of them unfit for actual careers?
A: First, who says they are good at maths? Some of them are, but we can hardly make a blanket statement like that.
Second, who says many of them are unfit for careers? Plenty of engineers — present company included — make reasonable careers for themselves.
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Q: How can we make better maths teachers?
A: Truly, they should learn to feel the joy of mathematics. In some ways, this is something that’s hard to teach — it comes from a lifetime of enjoying numbers and becoming comfortable around them. Still, there are some things to do: encourage them to ask questions.
Give them scientific papers to read and discuss, especially ones that make them look around at the world around them. Find and play with the numbers in everything: the cricket scores, the number of cars on the road, the hair on our heads, whatever you like. If you seek numbers, you’ll find them and you can juggle with them in intriguing ways.
The whole point: let maths education become an exercise in seeing and even living mathematically.
Q: Are girls really weaker in maths?
A: Nonsense. This is a myth that is subtly and not-so-subtly fed to parents, even by asking questions like this one.