Class 10 students in Karnataka, the country's knowledge hub, have exceeded the national average in mathematics, lagging only in trigonometry, an NCERT survey has found. While the national mean stood at 250, state students scored 260.
According to the National Achievement Survey (NAS) 2016, Karnataka students have fared well in algebra, number system, geometry and co-ordinate geometry, but scored the lowest in trigonometry. The exercise covered over 13,000 students in the state and thousands more across the country, testing their proficiency in English, mathematics, science and social science. While Odisha students topped the charts in mathematics with an average of 265, kids from Karnataka came a close second.
Students were tested on their competency in the number system, algebra, co-ordinate geometry, geometry, mensuration, statistics and probability data handling and trigonometry.
However, experts are not too enthused. Speaking on the status of mathematics learning and teaching in Karnataka, Rishikesh B S, associate professor, School of Policy and Governance, Azim Premji University, said, "It's not about algebra, geometry or trigonometry. A majority of the students haven't grasped foundational concepts. Though Karnataka students have secured more than the national average across many maths domains, the fact is that the average scores are poor, be it in the previous NAS cycle (Class 5) or the present one (Class 10), which is worrisome. The national average itself is quite low."
"We need to work on improving the teaching and learning process for mathematics by focusing on the nature of the subject and getting the basics right, rather than looking for innovative solutions that are usually short cuts which don't work. Learning should be fun as well as useful in real-life situations," Rishikesh said.
While CBSE students scored the mean achievement of 286, ICSE board students secured 315. "In comparison to other topics in mathematics, we don't have enough application-based learning in trigonometry in our syllabus. This is why students try to memorize concepts instead of understanding them," said Maria Stephen, a private school maths teacher.
Kanak Mangal, a maths lecturer at coaching institute ALLEN in Jayanagar, said that mathematics syllabus in India is divided into two categories — engineering mathematics and the other for Olympiad enthusiasts.
"It's not only about trigonometry. To improve mathematics learning, NCERT and other syllabi need to change according to students' and competitive requirements. Content available in the market to prepare students' for maths competitions is inadequate," he said.
According to the report, 29% of the students who scored between 200-240 need to improve in mathematics and 8.7% of the students who secured less than 200 require significant improvement.
A survey of 20,000 students across India to know which mathematics field students prefer and which one they find difficult has thrown up interesting findings. While 85% of the students in Bengaluru are inclined towards geometry, 76% of them in Chennai are fond of numbers. In Delhi, 71% of the students are more comfortable with fractions and decimals, and in Mumbai, 79% prefer mensuration. Pune led in data handling (84%) and Hyderabad in everyday maths (80%).
The survey was conducted by Cuemath, a maths tutorial group that provides application-based learning. Overall, boys and girls emerged on a par with one another. While 61% girls have better accuracy in everyday maths and geometry, 68% boys are better in numbers and operations, and data handling. The survey also showed that 57% of younger students (classes 1 to 3) are more proficient in everyday maths vis-a-vis 64% students of classes 4 to 8 who are good at arithmetic.
According to the National Achievement Survey (NAS) 2016, Karnataka students have fared well in algebra, number system, geometry and co-ordinate geometry, but scored the lowest in trigonometry. The exercise covered over 13,000 students in the state and thousands more across the country, testing their proficiency in English, mathematics, science and social science. While Odisha students topped the charts in mathematics with an average of 265, kids from Karnataka came a close second.
Students were tested on their competency in the number system, algebra, co-ordinate geometry, geometry, mensuration, statistics and probability data handling and trigonometry.
However, experts are not too enthused. Speaking on the status of mathematics learning and teaching in Karnataka, Rishikesh B S, associate professor, School of Policy and Governance, Azim Premji University, said, "It's not about algebra, geometry or trigonometry. A majority of the students haven't grasped foundational concepts. Though Karnataka students have secured more than the national average across many maths domains, the fact is that the average scores are poor, be it in the previous NAS cycle (Class 5) or the present one (Class 10), which is worrisome. The national average itself is quite low."
"We need to work on improving the teaching and learning process for mathematics by focusing on the nature of the subject and getting the basics right, rather than looking for innovative solutions that are usually short cuts which don't work. Learning should be fun as well as useful in real-life situations," Rishikesh said.
While CBSE students scored the mean achievement of 286, ICSE board students secured 315. "In comparison to other topics in mathematics, we don't have enough application-based learning in trigonometry in our syllabus. This is why students try to memorize concepts instead of understanding them," said Maria Stephen, a private school maths teacher.
Kanak Mangal, a maths lecturer at coaching institute ALLEN in Jayanagar, said that mathematics syllabus in India is divided into two categories — engineering mathematics and the other for Olympiad enthusiasts.
"It's not only about trigonometry. To improve mathematics learning, NCERT and other syllabi need to change according to students' and competitive requirements. Content available in the market to prepare students' for maths competitions is inadequate," he said.
According to the report, 29% of the students who scored between 200-240 need to improve in mathematics and 8.7% of the students who secured less than 200 require significant improvement.
B'luru likes geometry: Cuemath survey
A survey of 20,000 students across India to know which mathematics field students prefer and which one they find difficult has thrown up interesting findings. While 85% of the students in Bengaluru are inclined towards geometry, 76% of them in Chennai are fond of numbers. In Delhi, 71% of the students are more comfortable with fractions and decimals, and in Mumbai, 79% prefer mensuration. Pune led in data handling (84%) and Hyderabad in everyday maths (80%).
The survey was conducted by Cuemath, a maths tutorial group that provides application-based learning. Overall, boys and girls emerged on a par with one another. While 61% girls have better accuracy in everyday maths and geometry, 68% boys are better in numbers and operations, and data handling. The survey also showed that 57% of younger students (classes 1 to 3) are more proficient in everyday maths vis-a-vis 64% students of classes 4 to 8 who are good at arithmetic.
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