Students battling mathematics phobia in classrooms across the world have good reasons to smile: Schools are introducing a variety of numeracy based programmes ranging from Vedic Mathematics to Abacus for pupils not good with numbers.

\”I just can\’t cope with mathematics is the common refrain of students saddled with notoriously tough mathematics syllabus.Fear of Mathematics even compels bright students to desert the science stream.Pallavi Daga dreamt of being an engineers but mathematics proved to be a nightmare.\”I was pretty good in mathematics until Standard X.But subsequently it was impossible to come to grips with it. So I had to give up studying science subjects along with mathematics.\” , recalled Pallavi who is now a teacher in a city school.

Vedic Maths based on the ancient Vedas has got rid of Jhanvi Jha\’s and Raka Roy\’s Mathematics phobia.While Raka is doing Economic Honors, Jhanvi is a second year student. The Vedic Maths both young women swear by strives to demystify mathematics.

Its based on 16 formulas which can be mastered for cracking not only complex multiplication but even square roots and simultaneous equations\” said Gaurav Tekriwal, President of The Vedic Maths Forum India. After the success of Vedic Maths in schools, the forum is planning to launch a 24×7 Maths Helpline Next year.

\”Since the pressure to finish the paper fast haunts any student, VM is a god send\” said 59 years old Manju Goel, a Gold Medalist in Mathematics.

The Abacus also takes the sting out of Mathematics which is based on the Chinese Method if using beads for calculations. \”If anyone masters all the levels he can solve any math related problem in a jiffy.\” says an Abacus Teacher.

Maths Laboratory and Maths Club have also made a foray in schools. \”They make students more receptive because theorems are displayed on a LCD screen and classes suddenly become interesting and interactive.

Innovative and energetic teachers are also making a big difference.Sharmila Ghosh of future foundation school gave her students a moktor boat ride for a holistic knowledge of relative speed. Dedicated teachers like Sharmila say that the government must chip in to help students who have problems with mathematics. As special courses and programmes come at a price, there is a strong case for subsidizing them. And teachers should be allowed to be creative in the way they teach the much maligned subject.

Vedic Mathematics is becoming increasingly popular as more and more people are introduced to the beautifully unified and easy Vedic methods. The way in which Vedic Maths works, is to develop examples in arithmetic, which illustrate the core principle exemplified by a particular interpretation of the sutra, then generalize a little to algebra, or geometry, and then show how this links with the particular computer based algorithm which is being discussed.

You have more interesting methods as well which are being used by Math teachers. Some of which have origins in Korea and uses fingers for counting. The system is known as Chisenbop and this was brought to the United States in 1975.

Author Bio: Tanisha Advani is as associate of The Vedic Maths Forum India. She works in the field of Vedic Maths and revolutionizes the way students do Mental Math.The Vedic Maths Forum India has trained over 10 million students across the world in Vedic Maths.Her organization can be reached at http://www.vedicmathsindia.org

Category: Education
Keywords: career,mental maths,vedic maths,education