In any scheme of education, mathematics library plays a key role.Class room teaching has its limitations.It is difficult for teachers to go beyond the prescribed text book.Class room teachings may leave gaps and doubts.A good library provides opportunities for leaving the gaps.The curious students get facilities for quenching their first thirst of knowledge through library.A well organised library is a source of attraction for its students.A mathematics library is the birth place of future mathematicians.It inspires, stimulates ans equips them to follow the footprints of great mathematicians.
A mathematics library,besides being a source of learning and inspiration to pits students,also serves the interest and needs of teachers.Knowledge has no boundaries.A teacher has to keep himself abreast of the latest knowledge and skills in his subject.He has to learn most effective methods and devices for teaching. A good library in this sense,serves the role of a burning lamp.It sets burning the ambitions of learning more and more in teachers and inspires the students to imitate the ideals of their teachers.
In many schools laboratories are generally established for science subjects.Therefore for a number of persons the idea of setting mathematics laboratory in the school sounds quiet unusual and unpractical. Laboratory is a place which serves two fold purposes.Firstly it provides safe and proper place for placing all the essential material and equipment's concerning the learning activities in a subject.Secondly it gives proper facilities and opportunities for essential practical work and lively learning experiences.Apart from this, setting of mathematics library will prove useful to a mathematics teacher in many different ways.The mathematics knowledge which cannot be translated into practice is a useless burden and therefore students of mathematics should be given proper opportunities for the integration of theory with practice.
NEED AND IMPORTANCE OF MATHEMATICS LIBRARY
Having realized the need and importance of library in teaching of mathematics it is now to be thought whether to have a separate mathematics library or not.Generally in schools,there happens to be ageneral library where all sorts of general books andbooks related to different subjects and activities are placed in different almirahs at different places.On big table or tables,newspapers,magazines,periodicals and journals are placed.This place also seves as areading room.
There should be a period for library reading in the time table for enebling the students of every section and class to have an easy access to such library.The teacher may take the help of monitor or some interested student of the class in the management of the affairs.Thw establishment of mathematics library in separate room or as part of general library may be supported on the following grounds:
1. The separate arrangement brings fficiency in the organization.
2. Mathematics teacher remains in touch with the volumes and literature available in library.
3. It gives a sense of separate identity and inculcates interest in the subject mathematics.
4. The student get better facilities for reading the books and literature.
5. It helps in the activities of mathematics club.
6. It may help in nurturing gifted and potentials students in mathematics.
Therefore,in every school attempts should be made to have a mathematical library with the cooperation of authorities and the students.
WHAT IS TO BE KEPT IN MATHEMATICS LIBRARY
Mathematics library should be made an attractive place.It should have useful information on its walls in in the form of writings, charts and posters about mathematicians,their contributions, the facts and principles of mathematics and the historical development of the subject mathematics.A library is known through its contents, therefore there should be a wise collection of useful books and literature in the mathematics library.For this purpose a mathematics teacher should spare no efforts for the judicious selection of books and literature.This collection then needs a proper categorization or classification.
NEED AND IMPORTANCE OF MATHEMATICS LABORATORY
Advantages:
Some of the advantages of a mathematics laboratory may summerised as follows:
1. It will help in creating interest of the students in the learning of mathematicians.
2. It will help in making use of all the progressive methods like inductive,analytic, laboratory,heuristic and project methods in the teaching and learning of mathematics.
3. It will help in the inculcation of scientific,problem solving and heuristic attitude among the students.
4. The theoretical concepts may be easily clarified through practical demonstration.In this way the laboratory should would definitely save the time and energy of the teachers as well as students.
5. It will help in training the students for the practical application of mathematical facts and principles in their life.
6. It will help in satisfying the creative and constructive urges of the students
WHAT SHOULD BE THERE IN A MATHEMATICS LABORATORY?
A mathematics laboratory may contain the following types of material and equipments:
1. Different types of pictures and charts: Pictures and charts makes the learning of mathematics interesting and useful.A mathematics laboratory should contain different types of charts and pictures concerning various topics and sub-topics of mathematics.A few pictures and photographs of mathematicians may also be hung on on the walls of the laboratory to make it as mathematical as possible.
2. Models: In mathematics education models prove a very effective source of teaching and learning.
3. Weighing and measuring instruments: These are two important aspects of mathematics.A mathematics laboratory should, therefore, have all the essential equipment for weighing and measuring purposes like different types of balances,weights,measuring tapes and graduated cylinders.
4. Drawing instruments: For drawing and sketching of various figures and diagrams there should bedrawing instruments in mathematics laboratory.
5. The useful material concerning other subjects:modern teaching follows the principle of integration and correlation.In mathematics text concepts and problems are sometimes very much linked with the experience areas of other subjects.
6. Surveying instruments: Surveying is an important phenomenon concerning mathematics.For surveying purposes besides various types of measuring tapes the following types of special instruments should be kept in a mathematics laboratory.
Ø Angle mirror: It is used for laying out right angles in the field.
Ø Hypsometer and clinometers: Used in combination, the apparatus a simple device for measuring distance and heights of objects.
Ø Sextent: It is a sophisticated instrument for measuring the angular distance.It is used to find out angles of elevation and depression.
Ø Plane table:It is used for elementary mapping and surveying.
Ø Level:It is used in leveling the surfaces by finding differences in elevation.
Ø Transit: It is used in the measurement of angular distance and leveling.
7. Other useful materials: The useful concrete material like beads, balls, sticks, match boxes, pebbles, seeds, didactic apparatus, different types of coins, different types of wooden or card board pieces etc. may be kept in mathematics library.
8. Some other modern equipment: Under this category the following types of instruments may be kept in the mathematics laboratory:
Ø Proportional Dividers: This apparatus is based on the principle of proportionality in similar triangles and used for enlarging or reducing the pictures, maps or diagrams.
Ø Slide Rule: In principle it consists of two or more logarithmic scales sliding on each other.
Ø Calculating Machines: It is a sophisticated device for making the computation work a joy.It can also do all sorts of calculations in no time with great precision and accuracy.
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