Mathematics or Riyāziyāt (which in Greek means “knowledge, study and learning”) is the abstract study of topics encompassing quantity, structure, space, change, and other properties. Mathematics is a universal, utilitarian subject that is needed for everyone in their life. It is an integral part of the curriculum throughout the countries in the world. It is an interdisciplinary language and tool that is considered as one of the fundamentals in the formal educational system. Roy in 2011 further states that mathematics is the study of quantity, structure, space and change. It as a human endeavour encompasses the mathematics of measurement of time, distance and different system of distance that have developed throughout the world. Mathematics is a science about well-defined objects and notions which can be analyzed and transformed in different ways using ‘mathematical reasoning’ to obtain conclusions about which we are certain (OECD, 2018). It is an essential requirement in every field of intellectual endeavour and human development to cope with the challenges of life (Ihechukwu &Ugwuegbulam, 2016).
Branches of Mathematics:
Pure Mathematics: It deals with Abstract concepts, Conjectures, Proofs etc. From the nineteenth century onwards, this was a recognized category of mathematical activity.
Applied Mathematics: Mathematical methods that are typically used in science, engineering, business, and industry. Thus, “applied mathematics” is a mathematical science with specialized knowledge of other disciplines.
Meaning of Phobia: A type of anxiety disorder or a mental illness that makes someone very worried and affects their life is known as phobia. It involves an extreme fear of something or irrational fear of a specific situation, activity and object or that leads to compelling desire to avoid it (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). The term ‘phobia’ is abstracted from the Greek word “phobos” meaning fear, panic fear, or terror. In the simple terms, the meaning of phobia is “fear”. Usually a person has phobias to a number of objects or situations.
Causes of Math Phobia: Math phobia, to some researchers, is gained not from personal experience but from parents and teachers. When parents with high math anxiety try to help their children with their homework, they unintentionally convey the idea that math is difficult and anxiety-provoking. Students often develop math phobia in schools, as a result of learning from teachers who are themselves suffering from math phobia. Such teachers usually fall back to teaching exclusively from the textbook, relying on memorizing facts, and employing only drill and practice to reinforce the lesson. Research confirms that the pressure of examinations and tests and risk of public embarrassment are the main sources of unproductive tension among many students. Three practices that are part of the normal mathematics classroom and cause great anxiety in many students are imposed authority, dissemination and time deadlines. Math is typically taught as a right and wrong subject. Teachers expect a fixed answer from the students and sometimes this rigidity is so high that students have no freedom to express in their own way. This leads to the rote method of learning which has been proven outdated by psychologists.
Ways to Overcome Mathematics Phobia| Remedial Measures:
What teachers can do?
1.Motivate students to study mathematics, positive and enthusiastic about the subject.
2. Do not put down the wrong answers. Because they actually help our brains grow.
3. Tests are important but!The true goals of mathematics should be to prepare students to face real-life problems with mathematics as a tool.
4. Do not present Mathematics as an unlearnable, difficult subject because it is NOT true!!!
5. Math is a CREATIVE subject, Learning mathematics is like learning music or art.
6.Make summary notes to prepare for the examination.
Classroom environment:
1. Student centric class room.
2. Friendly environment
3. Student should be able to express his/her view point
4. In the beginning understand the level of students.
5. Additional lectures for weak students (if any).
6. Avoid discouraging students
7. Score/Evaluation free focus on teaching,
8. Stress should be on teaching not on grades/marks
9. Encourage questions from students
10. Discussion based teaching
11. Why we are studying this topic?
12. What are the main concepts in the present topic?
13. Quiz on daily basis.
Finally, a patient, positive and supportive attitude towards children can result in overcoming mathematics phobia.
(The author is Assistant Professor at the Department of Mathematics Govt. College for Women, Nawakadal Srinagar. Views are his own)
“India will be known as a vaccine-superpower after Covid-19’’
Dr Balram Bhargava
First, the unstinting dedication and untiring efforts of our frontline workers and healthcare professionals involved in the vaccination drive, who have risked their health to work without breaks through the pandemic is one of the main reasons we could achieve this milestone. Second, the rich experience of carrying out one of the world’s largest universal immunization programmes for infants, children, and new mothers, over last several decades had strongly equipped our ministry of health to lead such an exercise. Third, an aligned holistic approach of different arms of the government with a singular focus to make vaccination drive a success contributed to this journey. The brilliant sync with which different units such as the NITI Aayog, the Indian Council of Medical Research; expert groups, such as NEGVAC, empowered committees; and ministries such as the ministry of health, worked set a new benchmark in cohesive coordination. And it is this ability of the whole of the government to work together as well as strike successful public-private partnerships, where needed, that has resulted in a series of victories in these times of extreme uncertainties. Whether it be the development of CoWIN, or the pragmatic way we prioritised vaccination for different groups, getting right many of those small steps nestled within the large vaccination drive resulted in the country achieving these 100 crore vaccines milestone. Beyond all, the country showed a clear commitment to public health, and that paid off. In the development of this vaccine and this partnership, I think the most important aspects have been complete trust and the level of mutual appreciation for each other’s calibre between the public and the private partner. It worked two ways, ICMR’s trust in Bharat Biotech, or Bharat Biotech’s faith in ICMR. Right at the outset, we had clearly decided that the steps we follow must have a clear scientific basis and whatever we do should be documented in scientific journals. Now as we know, the international academia has appreciated the scientific evidence on Covaxin, that has been published in over 15 papers. These publications in highly acclaimed peer-reviewed global scientific literature cover the entire spectrum of vaccine development, whether it be preclinical development, small-animal studies, hamster studies, large animal studies, all phases of clinical trials, including the phase-III trial which is one of the largest in the world. These studies also include the vaccine’s efficacy against the emerging virus variants, Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta.
Our academia in these spaces will have to be incentivised and need to benefit from the intellectual property they create, for them to be motivated about innovation. Those pathways we still have to establish. I think our system is currently working like turbocharged well-oiled machinery vaccinating at a very fast rate, and we are advancing rapidly to reach that target. I think the world is watching us and will be witness to the fact that our vaccination drive has not only been very agile but also very responsive and responsible.
Co-developing Covaxin enriched science and public health in the country: First, this experience has instilled self-confidence in us that India is now much more than the pharmacy of the world. It is also a vaccine superpower. This confidence in being able to develop new vaccines from the scratch now pervades the industry and the academia, and it is the right time to use our learnings from these experiences to develop new vaccines for other diseases and scale them up. This should be not only done for the Indian population but for the world population at large, as the underlying principle of all our efforts is ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ or ‘the world is one family’. Second, for decades altogether we were largely known as a powerhouse for generic drug-making. This experience in Covid-19 has acted as a catalyst for us to move up the value chain and take a leap into drug discovery or vaccine-discovery space to be specific. If this has to take off, the industry and academia will have to collaborate in a big way. This is already happening in the engineering space where professors in IITs do consultancies and partake in innovation. The mechanism is yet to be streamlined in the biomedical space, and medical sciences. Our academia in these spaces will have to be incentivised and need to benefit from the intellectual property they create, for them to be motivated about innovation. Those pathways we still have to establish. I think our system is currently working like turbocharged well-oiled machinery vaccinating at a very fast rate, and we are advancing rapidly to reach that target. I think the world is watching us and will be witness to the fact that our vaccination drive has not only been very agile but also very responsive and responsible.
(The author is Director General, Indian Council Of Medical Research, Government of India. Press Information Bureau Srinagar has mailed this article to “Kashmir Horizon” for publication in this newspaper. Views are his own)
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