Modern world, with its achievement in Mathematical Sciences, has made our life easy and comfortable. For nearly 5000 years, man has been acquiring vast knowledge about his existence and cosmos. Jammu and Kashmir has produced doyens of Science, Philosophy and Literature. In Engineering, our ancient monuments have been praised and identified as having a distinct architectural quality.
The step of Higher Education Department of J & K Government to establish J & K Institute of Mathematical Sciences (last year in 2013) is of immense significance as it will give a push in producing men and women of Mathematics, Science and technology which are the basic components of the modern technology. The main aim of the institute is to promote the study of Mathematics and Sciences, and prepare students for teaching, research and corporate world.
The Mathematics Training and Talent Search (MTTS) Programme is an intensive training programme for undergraduates and post graduates in India. These programs are being organized under the directorship of Prof. S. Kumaresan, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Hyderabad. The first program was held in the summer of 1993. Since 1993, this program has been conducted at various centres in India except J & K with funds from NBHM (National Board for Higher Mathematics), an apex body of the Department of Atomic Energy, Government of India.
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It was only this year since 1993 that Mini-MTTS(Mathematics Training and Talent Search) Programwas conducted in Jammu and Kashmir. It was organized by J and K Institute of Mathematical Sciences(JKIMS), Higher Education Department, J & K Government at its campus at A.S.College, Srinagar from 2nd – 11th Aug., 2014 and inaugurated by Minister for Higher Education. The participants in the program were the students from Jammu and Kashmir Division and mathematics teachers from colleges.
MTTS Programmes channelize mathematics talent by exposing bright young students to rigorous mathematics, creating numerous opportunities for students and motivating them to choose their careers in Mathematics, propelling students towards research careers, influencing Mathematics teachers and above all, nurturing talented young mathematics students. It also promotes independent thinking, improves teaching methodology for Mathematics, and induces excitement in solving problems of Mathematics.
The faculty is from various leading institutions of the country and is not confined to the institute of the venue. People who are experts in the field, who are known for their teaching and who have a commitment towards betterment of mathematics in India, are chosen to give the courses. As a rule each course is taught by a single expert. This paves the way for better interaction between the faculty and students and also imparts a perspective of the field among the students. The faculty is requested to be present for all the sessions – not just for their sessions alone. In the problem sessions all students are asked to solve problems. All the four teachers of a level will actively help the students during the problem sessions. The teachers identify the difficulties of individual students. Giving individual attention is one of the unique features of this programme which makes the programme successful. There are no tests at the end of the programmeto make it clear that the students should learn mathematics for the pleasure of doing it and not for the sake of examinations.
The aims of this programme are to teach mathematics in an interactive way rather than the usual passive presentation. To promote active learning, the teachers usually ask questions and try to develop the theory based on the answers and typical examples. At every level the participants are encouraged to explore, guess and formulate definitions and results to promote independent thinking in mathematics, and to provide a platform for the talented students so that they can interact with their peers and experts in the field. This serves two purposes: i) the participants come to know where they stand academically and what they have to do to bring out their full potential and ii) they establish a rapport with other participants and teachers which helps them in shaping their career in mathematics.
Mini-MTTS Programme in Srinagar went off rather well and it was highly appreciated by the participants, teachers and parents. The success of the programme was mainly due to the resource persons, Dr. G. Santhanam from Department of Mathematics, IIT Kanpur, Dr. S. Reddy from Shivnadar University, Dr. D. Rishi from Punjab University, Dr. VikramAithal and Dr. BhabaSarma, IIT Guwhati for co-coordinating the programme. The students were trained in Level O Programme and offered courses in Basic Real Analysis, Linear Algebra, Geometry, Logic and Graph Theory. The deliberations revolved around four sessions of one and an half hour each starting at 9 a.m. till 5 p.m. with breaks for discussions and refreshments. All sessions were highly interactive and students were encouraged to think and come up with a definition or arrive at a proof. The Programme has been spirited and useful and provided platform for young students and mathematicians from leading institutes of the country to have fruitful discussions.
The students were given an outline or idea of proof and were asked to work out the details after discussing among themselves before writing the final proof. The students were given a feedback form at the end of first week.
The most important contribution of MTTS is that it brings out a significant change in the student’s perspective about learning Mathematics. It was evident among the students of J & K by their eagerness to learn the concepts of Mathematics which can prove to be a good omen for the future of Mathematics in Jammu & Kashmir.
(The author is Nodal Officer, J&K Institute of Mathematical Sciences, Jammu)
Resource:- Teaching and Learning Mathematics
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