Auroville researchers aim to ignite global interest in traditional mathematics education at Seoul meet

Sanjeev Ranganathan, Head of SAIIER (Sri Aurobindo International Institute of Educational Research) and associate Poovizhi will be presenting a paper on traditional math pedagogy at an international conference in Seoul. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

An Auroville research team will present a paper on the time-honoured mathematics pedagogy at the 9th East Asia Regional Conference on Mathematics Education (EARCOME 9) that is under way in Seoul, South Korea.

A press note from Auroville said this marked the first time India was participating in this regional conference (July 18-22) and also represented “a milestone in the global recognition of Indian mathematical pedagogy”.

Sanjeev Ranganathan, Head of SAIIER (Sri Aurobindo International Institute of Educational Research) and IIT-Madras alumnus and Poovizhi, a mathematics teacher at Auroville School, will present a research paper on “Indian Knowledge Systems and the Impact on Teachers When They Learn Indian Knowledge Systems and How They Interact with Children.”

According to Mr. Ranganathan, the research revealed that most mathematical concepts taught in schools today originated in India but became distorted through centuries of cultural transmission. “Functions on mathematics education: that is a mix of normal and formal mathematics. And the primary purpose of formal mathematics was that during colonial times, the work that was done by earlier mathematics was sort of discredited.”

Among key discoveries that suffered from translation flaws were the mathematical concepts like “sine theta” that originally described tangible concepts (the bending of a bow) but became abstract through Arabic-Latin translations, he said.

Formal mathematics was also elevated over practical, observable mathematics during colonial periods. As a cumulative result, students today learn mathematics disconnected from real-world applications, leading to widespread math anxiety, Mr. Ranganathan added.

The authors say there is compelling evidence from Auroville classrooms that support their findings on the effectiveness of traditional models, most demonstrably so, when mathematical concepts are taught through native languages.

Imparting mathematical knowledge in the Indian knowledge tradition went beyond the pedagogical to represent a method, an approach, said Jayanti S. Ravi, Additional Chief Secretary of Gujarat and Secretary of Auroville Foundation, who, the press note said, held a sustaining interest in supporting the research project.

Referring to the “worldwide crisis in mathematics education” and widely prevalent math phobia, Ms. Ravi noted that a number of students wound up completely alienated from the branch mid-way into schooling. “So, we lose out on the STEM constituency”.

The Auroville Secretary mooted exploring alternative ways to popularise traditional educational models at a scale across India, potentially to the level of a mass movement, and also evoke global curiosity. The implementation plan includes conducting a series of teacher training workshops across India, curriculum integration with existing educational standards and certification programmes in collaboration with international universities.