MATHEMATICS LABORATORY

                                    MATHEMATICS LABORATORY

Introduction

                    Mathematics teaching in today’s school is textbook dominated, concerned primarily with the manipulation of symbols and all to often largely removed from the real world of the child. Endless repetition, meaningless memorization and general lack of interest are other few reasons that attribute negative altitudes towards mathematics.

                     

                     Taking into consideration the national aspirations and expectations reflected in the recommendations of the National Curriculum Framework (  NCF ) developed   by NCERT, had initiated  a number of steps to make teaching and learning of mathematics at school stages activity based and experimentation oriented.

                         Mathematics laboratory is a place rich in manipulation materials to which children have ready access to handle them, perform mathematical experiments, play mathematical games, solve mathematical puzzles and become involved in other activities. The laboratory approach allows pupil to set up mathematical experiment for the purpose of discovering some mathematical principles, patterns or process. These activities may be carried out by the teacher or the students to explore to learns, to stimulate interest and develop favorable altitudes towards mathematics. More involvement in the laboratory work helps in satisfying the creative and constructive urges of the students.    

NEED AND IMPORTANCE OF

MATHEMATICS LABORATORY

               Mathematics laboratory is activity centered and a child is placed in problem solving situation through self exploration and discovery. He provides a solution based on his experience, needs and interest. Some of the ways in which a mathematics laboratory can contribute to the learning of the subject are.

• It provides an opportunity to understand and internalize the basic mathematical concepts through concrete objects and situations.
• It enables the students to verify or discover several geometrical properties and facts using models or by paper cutting and folding technique.
• It helps the students to build interest and confidence in learning the subject.
• The laboratory provides opportunity to exhibit the relatedness of mathematical concepts with every day life.
• It provides greater scope for individual participation in the process of learning and becoming autonomous learners.
• It provides scope for greater involvement of both the mind and the hand which facilitate cognition.
• The laboratory allows and encourages students to think, discuss with each other and the teacher and assimilates the concepts in a more effective manner.
• It enables the teacher to demonstrate, explain and reinforce abstract mathematical ideas by using concrete objects, models, charts, graphs, pictures, posters etc.

THE OBJECTIVES OF MATHEMATICS LABORATORY

• To provide readily accessible rich manipulative materials to emphasis on “learning by doing”.
• To develop an attitude of enquiry.
• Remove the weakness of present day mathematics education.
• To develop much needed confidence in students.
• To generate interest in the subject.
• To make the students divergent thinkers.
• To make the children to look for pattern and ask questions.

Materials and Equipments for a Mathematics Laboratory

          For the effective functioning at a mathematics laboratory, it should be well equipped. A mathematics laboratory may contain the following type of materials and equipments.

Materials

-Concrete materials:  The mathematics laboratory should contain materials such as beads, pebbles, sticks, ball frames, seeds, balance, weighs, measuring tapes, scissors, pins, abacus, cardboard, board pins, chart paper, graph paper etc. which are very helpful for demonstrating elementary mathematics concepts.

-Pictures and charts: Pictures of mathematicians, history of mathematicians, charts showing contributions of mathematics, biographic of mathematicians are very helpful in inspiring students and can be placed in the mathematics laboratory.

-Models: Various mathematical models which will offer opportunities for students to explore and investigate should be placed in mathematical laboratory.

-Bulletin Board: There should be at least one bulletin boarding the mathematics laboratory to display various illustrations concerning mathematics. Information relating to mathematics and its applications collected from different sources like magazines, journals and newspapers and can be displayed for the benefit of all the pupils.

-Black board: A black board should be provided in the mathematics laboratory. This helps in writing instructions, drawing geometrical figures and illustrations necessary for performing the laboratory work.        

  

Instruments and equipments

Drawing instruments - In mathematics laboratory, the students are required to draw and sketch geometrical figures, graphs and so on. Therefore in every mathematics laboratory there should be a set of drawing instruments like compass, rulers, protractors etc. for the teacher to demonstrate the drawing on the blackboard and instrument boxes for the student’s use. Stencils for drawing geometrical figures are also important rules in mathematics laboratory. 

Weighing and measuring instruments- The instruments used for measuring and weighing such as measuring tapes, balances of different types, measuring jar and graduated cylinder should be there in a mathematics laboratory.

Surveying instruments- Surveying is an important aspect of mathematical laboratory work. Laying out right angles, finding the angular distance, estimating the height of a building, estimating the distance of an object, finding the angle of elevation and depression are useful activities which make use of surveying instruments. The following instruments are very useful in this regard and they should have place in mathematics laboratory.

- Angle mirror for laying out right angles in the field.

- Sextant for measuring

(i) The angular distance

(ii) Angles of elevation and depression

(iii) The height of an object

(iv) The width of a river etc.

-Plane table and alidade for elementary mapping and surveying.

-Clinometers for estimating the

(i) Angle of elevation

(ii) Height of an object.

-Transit for measuring the angular distance of two objects

-Level for finding differences in elevation.

Proportional dividers: This instrument works on the principle of proportionally of similar triangles. It can be used for enlarging or reducing figures, pictures, maps, graphs etc.

Computing devices: Slide rules and calculators

A slide rule consists of two or more logarithmic scales sliding on each other. It provides rapid means of arithmetic operations and is quite handy in schools which cannot afford to buy calculators. Calculators are very helpful in doing complete computations with greater speed and accuracy.

Computers:  With the type of the technology advancement that is seen today, computers have become more important aid for instruction. The multimedia presentation of a lesson will be more effective and interesting than any other way of presenting a lesson.

Furnishing mathematics laboratory.

               Sufficient furniture should be provided in the laboratory to do experiments and at the same time for displaying the working models and other means of taking observations

Functions of mathematics laboratory

        The primary functions of a mathematics laboratory are to

• Make mathematics teaching and learning, interesting and purposeful for students.
• Provide activities that arouse the curiosity of the students and maintain their interest in learning.
• Enable students to develop proper skills in handling equipments and gadgets.
• Make students appreciate the practical applicability of mathematical principle and laws.
• Concretize the abstract mathematical concepts.
• Help the students develop powers of observation analysis  and drawing inferences.  

  

  

      

                

                      CONCLUSION

                     Now a days, the role of the teacher is reduced to facilitator. A strategy for teaching mathematics in a mathematics laboratory atmosphere that would transform the position of the teacher from being active speaker to the facilitator.

                   Conceptualizing mathematical ideas stimulates the growth of analytical thought, which is critical for succeeding in the modern world. The conceptual understanding will better enables students to handle logical and complex information throughout their lives.