Math Mela - 31st August, 2006

Math has not been taught at the GNFS with the same intensity as the other subjects. This has been because of one reason. It is an optional subject in the National Open School Examination. Thus, the amount of Math that a child could learn was never an issue. There being no deadlines to meet, the level of learning in Math even by the time the child graduated from the GNFS could be as low as 5th standard CBSC.



In the last two years, a department for Math has been established, run by two faculty, one of whom is the Math Subject Expert – Tasneem. They have been working on raising the levels of learning for the last two years, by reviewing the curriculum, challenging the students to move through concept clusters at the pace that is most comfortable to them without letting up on the challenge, and by constant and careful documentation of this research in the classroom.

The Math Mela was thought of as one more way to be able to check the levels of the children and raise these levels in one shot, in one day, at one event. It was visualised as a physical laying out of the whole Math concept line as far as it is taught in the school at the moment in the form of counters run by students. Peer education would ensure that the students who were teaching as well as those learning would have to check their own levels while their competencies would become clear for the two Math faculty on duty to observe.


The Mela as it was implemented however was a much more interactive edutainment event, which kept the students busy the whole day, allowing them to explore their potential independently through games that forced them to think through problem situations. It was followed up with a half-day workshop the following day, during which the student counters were set up one at a time in a full-school assembly. Each counter explained their activity in the supervision of the Math Subject Expert so that concept clarity was complete and satisfactory for all children present.