UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak recently said, poor math skills in adults were holding back his country’s economy and that the students without a robust foundation in mathematics would be left behind in the working world. He further lamented an “anti-maths mindset” had made Britain one of the least numerate nations in the developed world. Very strong words indeed that probably apply to many nations. That said, the passion to teach and learn mathematics must return. But how? What can be more innovative than incorporating stories, symbols, meditation, and problem-solving into the teaching lessons?
Learning mathematics requires a clear and focused mind. Meditation and mindfulness help the cause. Why cannot we introduce at the start of each math lesson a short meditation or mindfulness practice to help students clear their minds and focus on the task at hand? Why not fall back on a little ancient wisdom like incorporating stories from ancient texts? Storytelling is the best teaching pedagogy. If infinity were to be explained, the story of the ancient Greek mathematician Zeno, who lived in the 5th century BCE, comes handy. His dichotomy paradox, Achilles and the Tortoise paradox are very useful to teach concepts like time, motion, infinity and nature of reality. The ‘Dichotomy paradox’ states that in order to travel any distance, we must first travel half of that distance, and then half of the remaining distance, and so on, ad infinitum. This implies that we can never actually travel any distance, as there will always be an infinite number of smaller distances that must be traversed first. That is infinity for you.
Many concepts can be taught through symbols and geometry. For example, the ancient Egyptians used hieroglyphs that are a combination of pictures, symbols, and abstract shapes to represent numbers and ideas, while the ancient Greeks used geometric shapes to represent numbers and mathematical concepts.
Several have used the ancient Chinese method of “finger counting” called “chisenbop” to solve some complex mathematical problems such as using fingers on one or both hands to represent numbers from 1 to 10. Each finger is assigned a numerical value, with the thumb representing 1 and the little finger representing 10. To represent numbers larger than 10, the fingers on both hands are used in combination. For example, to represent ‘12’, the thumb on the left hand is held down to represent 10, while the index finger on the right hand is held down to represent 2. To perform arithmetic operations using ‘chisenbop’, the fingers on one or both hands are manipulated in a certain way to represent the numbers being added, subtracted, multiplied, or divided. This method is found to be fun and engaging way to introduce young children to the world of mathematics.
Hindu ancient wisdom too contains many mathematical concepts and methods that can be used to simplify and teach mathematics. Rig Veda cites 16 sutras or aphorisms and 13 sub-sutras, which provide a set of techniques for mental calculation and simplifying complex mathematical problems. They can be used to teach arithmetic, algebra, and geometry, and can help simplify many mathematical concepts. Assuming 10th root of 1.5 is to be found. One can use’ Nikhilam Navatas-karamam Dashatah’ sutra, which translates to ‘All from 9 and the last from 10’.
As far as storytelling as an effective pedagogy goes, many Indian epics can be cited. The famous battle of ‘Kurukshetra’, involved the use of various weapons and battle formations, which required complex mathematical calculations. Even ‘Arthashastra’ describes battle formations in simple math language. The construction of the bridge to Lanka by Lord Rama and his army involved the use of geometric calculations and principles such as proportion and symmetry. The ‘Bhagavata Purana’, describes the use of decimal system and the concept of zero in ancient India. In ‘Panchatntra’ the story of ‘The Lion and the Hare’ involves a mathematical puzzle in which the hare uses his knowledge of geometry to outsmart the lion. Even technology, interactive whiteboards, online resources making learning mathematics more interactive and engaging, must be used extensively.
Removing fear and anxiety towards math learning and fostering creativity and curiosity will make math more interesting and engaging. Albert Einstein, the German theoretical physicist once said. “Pure mathematics is, in its way, the poetry of logical ideas”. It is time, the British Schools adopted a little Indian wisdom to be ‘math’ wise.