Teachers take a look at the models during the seminar in Jamshedpur on Saturday. Picture by Bhola Prasad

Jamshedpur, Aug 11: No more memorising long formulas, solving elaborate theorems and their puzzling corollaries.

Thanks to Loyola BEd College faculty member Father Alex Mascarenhas, students will soon be better equipped to grasp the basic concepts of mathematics.

Mascarenhas’ novel approach involves three dimensional models that do away with the rote system of learning.

In a first such seminar conducted by the educationist under the aegis of the mathematics lab of Loyola School today, around 36 teachers from different schools came away impressed by the new approach and enthusiastic about implementing the same in their respective schools.

Speaking at the seminar, Mascarenhas said mathematics classes should be more activity-based, engaging students in creating shapes and structures. The visual effect will help them grasp the subject better.

“I have developed three dimensional models based on my interactions with budding mathematics teachers at the Loyola BEd College. It has been found that more than 40 per cent of students in a class develop a phobia towards maths as they are unable to pick up the basic concepts, which ultimately reflects in their results. Peer pressure forces them to opt for the rote method of learning,” said Mascarenhas.

The three dimensional models made from waste cardboard, woods and plastics deals with basic concepts of mathematics like area of a rectangle or triangle through shapes and dimensions and the teachers can explain these concepts with active participation of students in class.

Mathematics teacher at Carmel Junior College, Sonari, Anupama Prasad said the new technique would certainly get students more interested in the subject. “I will speak to our principal and most introduce this in Class IX and X from this week itself. This method can be used for all classes and it helps strengthen the basic concepts in a student-friendly manner,” she said.

Another teacher from Gyan Deep School, Birsanagar, Sudipta Roy felt that such an approach would be beneficial for students coming from lower income groups. Schools, which do not have access to the Internet or any audio-visual facility, can use it as an effective method.

The host school principal and a maths teacher Father Victor Misquith said the cradle would host similar seminars in future. He also intends to organise such workshops in other schools so that more students can benefit from it.