Learning Resou1·ces f01·

1Vlathen1atics
12.1 I\lathematics Library
11athematics library is one of the important sources of acquiring mathematical
knowledge and skills. It serves the purpose of inculcating good reading and study habits whidi
help in promoting self-study and independent work among students. The students, at a>'O'q
age should be e:\.-posed to the joy of reading and should be equipped with adequate referea:e
skills. However, \\ith the advent of information technology and cyber caf~ there isagrowizl
decline in the reading of books. The different t)-pes of books available in the mathematics
h1muy help the students in promoting reading habits.

Need and Functions of a Good l\lathematics Library

Even though there is a general library with a separate section for Mathematics
Department in every institution, it is necessary to have a separate library for mathematicsb
the folio\\ing reasons.
A mathematics library provides immediate access to the necessary mathematics books
It facilitates timely use of the books and inculcates reference skills. As the mafhemlDCS
teacher is in charge of the mathematics library, the students can seek the teacher's~
and guidance in locating and selecting the relevant books.
It helps the mathematics teacher to get acquainted with the latest developmesdlia
mathematics and innovative techniques of teaching, as the teacher is constantlyin101d
with the new additions to the library.
It provides the mathematics teacher with an important role in the selection of-
books for the mathematics library.
It promotes efficiency in the organisation of library services.
It provides a sense of separate identity to mathematics and helps to motivate ti-
students to learn mathematics with genuine interest.
The mathematics teacher should take the responsibility of organising the
library and ~ in charge of suc_h a _library. Mathematics library can be situated in •~f
classroom or m a separate section 10 the mathematics laboratory. The effective: USC'
 .
. ------------------259
mg Resources for Math emati cs

by the students can be ensured by allotting a separate

period in the tin:ietable ~or library
The mathematics teacher shou ld motivate the students to
use the library time more
·vely.
mathematics libr ary serv es the follo wing educ atio
nal purp oses
_ ~m~~~~tj~ ,.i~~..P~ ~dt:~ ~e e~tr_a information
_necessary for mathematics,
since a
teacber of mathematics may not find time to go beyond the presc
ribed textbooks.
Mathematics l~i ng requires a lot o( drill and practice,
a parti cular set of text b~k J
cannot serv e this purp ose. A math emat ics library help
s in drill and prac tice as the
students can refer a num ber of books other than the presc
ribed textbooks .
_ The di_!!erent cypes of prob lems and ~pproaches available
in differen~ _l>9oks help the
students in developing their problem-solving ability and adopting
diff~ ent approaches to
problem-solving, thus making them more open-minded and
inde pend ent
Clas sroo ~ _teac hing may leave _man y gaps aJ!.d_d~~J?t~
~n~larified._J\ good libra ry
-provides opportunities for filling up the gaps and removing the doub
ts.
It pro~ de! facil ities for the gifte d stud ents to satisfy their c
uriosi~
kno\\iedge. --- · -· -- - -
It provides adequate·materiais and information necessary for comp
leting the mignments
and homework.
I t ~ in developing reference skills necessary for higher educ
ation.
aad Mat eria ls for a Mathematics Lib rary
The math ema tics libra ry shou ld be attra ctive and shou ld prov
ide an atmo sphe re
· e for read ing. It can be deco rated with visua l aids and pictu
res of mat hem atic i~
posters about their cont ribut ions, infon natio n on historical
deve lopm ent of certain
malicaJ concepts, theo rems and so on. The seating arran
gem ent mus t be comfortable for
alel:lts to sit and reacl. Abo ve all, the books selec
ted for a math emat ics library shou ld be
interesting, useful and shou ld enthuse the students to read. Whi le selec
ting the boo ~
IDPtaasis· should not be mere ly on quantity, but also on qual
ity. The book s and materials
rnarbematics library can be collected and categ orise d wide r the
ID1r:12eei in different cabins, bureaus and almirhas.
follo wing heads and can

The Pracribed text books of mathematics for the different class

es.
Boob of mat hem atic s at a high er levels for references for teac
hen and
ltudents.
Boob oo Methods and Techniques of Teaching (These are refer ence book
s _for
teachers to acquaint them with innovative methods and techniques
of teach ing
mathematics).
 260 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - T e a c h i n g o f M a t h.
e.._tlta
Examples for such books are ·given below:
Name of the book Author Publisher
Teaching of Secondary Butler and Worn McGraw Hill ---.....
School Mathematics
Teaching of Mathematics Davis Addison & Wesley ---.....
Teaching of Mathematics Chaddha & Aggarwal Dhanpal Rai & Sons, Delhi---..._
How to Teach Matl1ematics Fremont Herbert W.B. Sounders Company --.....
at Secondary Schools London
The Teaching ofMatl1ematics Sidhu K.S. Sterling Publication, Jull~
Teaching Mathematics Michelle Selinger (Ed) Routledge London & New vi
Theory of Mathematics
in the Elementary and the
J.W.A YoW1g -
Secondary School
-
- Books for Amusement and Recreation
A mathematics library should have some books for amusement and recreation. Such
books will arouse the interest and curiosity of the students. The details regarding the nan,
author and publisher of a few such books are given below.
Name of the book Author Publisher
Amusement in Mathematics Dudney Nelson & Company
Mathematics Recreation Ball & Coxeter Macmillan&Co
More Mathematical Puzzles Martin Gardner Penguin Books 1961
and Diversions
Math Tricks, Brain Twisters Joseph Degrazia, Phd Bell Publishing Company 1981
&Puzzles
Mathematical Carnival Martin Gardner Penguin Books New York 1'119_
Puzzles in Maths & Logic Aaron J. Friedland Dover Publications Inc
New York 1970 -
Mathematical Puzzles for Geoffrey Mott-Smith Dover Publications Inc
Beginners & Enthusiasts New York 1954 ~

Mathematical Fun Games Jack Frohlich Stein Dover Publications Inc

and Puzzles
The Master Book of
Mathematics Quiz
D. Jaganmohan Rao
C. Ramaiah
New York 1967
-
Neelkamal Publicatiom Pvt Ltd.
 _ _ _ ____:,_ _
________
J.,eam Ing R CSO II re cs fo r M nth cn rnt ics _ _ _ 261

- Boo ks on Bi og ra ph ie s an d H ist or y of M at he m
at ic s
Bo0 ks on biographies an
d history of m at he m at ic
reading material for both s pr ov id e in te re sti ng an
teachers and students. A d in fo nn at iv e
few of such bo ok s are gi
ven below.
~Nam e of th e hook Au th or
Pu bl ish er
Histm)' of Mathematics Boyer
John wily & Sons
\\'orld of ~,fathcmatics N ew m an
Si m on & Co , New York
'r:~en of Mathematics Bell
- Si m on & Co , New York
_ Books on Contributio
n of M at he m at ic s to O
th er Fields
Books on co nt rib ut io ns
of m at he m at ic s se rv e th
Such books will im pr es s e pu rp os e of m ot iv at in
th e re ad er s ab ou t the ap g th e students.
plication of th ei r cl as sr oo
fiel&. m le ar ni ng to ot he r
Examples of su ch bo ok s ar
e:
Name of the book
Author
Mathematics in Human Affairs Publisher
Ko Komer
Mathematics for the millions Prentice Hall -
Hogben Loncelot
Thinking Machines
Norton & Co, New York
Adler-hving Lignent Science Library
Mathematical Advantages in
Davis American Mathematical
Social Sciences
~ c a l Challenges Magazine
N C TM Washington D.C. ' -

- Mathematics Journals
The mathematics library mus
t ha
ve journals to acquaint the
~ current events and research fin teachers and students with
dings in mathematics.
• The Mathematics Educatio .
n (A quarterly journal)
• The Mathematics Teacher (A
bimonthly journal)
• Periodicals and Newsletters
published by NCERT and SC
OU.er u ~ .
se,ut Literature
ERT time to timefrom
• Reports of the various committ
• Inronnati
ees and commissions on mat
hematics education.
on on career guidance relatin
g to mathematics education.
 . jteso orces for Mat hem atic s - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
r11•"g 269
. ce the text boo k-c um- wor kbo ok is auth ore
d by the sam e per son , a ~tt er
workbo 0 ~· Sin d integration of idea s is pos sibl e. How
. uon an eve r, it forf eits one adv anta ge of the
coord1na arne ly the sco pe for resa le and reu
se bec aus e a wor kbo ok onc e use d can not be
textbook, ~
reused again.
rtathematics Clu b
tZ.4l~~ thematics club plays an important role in motivat
t and involvement. Som etim es mat hem atic
ing the students to learn mathematics
s teac hin g in classrooms becomes so
wi'th interous
es
that the stud ents bec om e rest less and get eas ~
0 ily dis tra cte ~th em ati cs clu b
rn° ?;onexcellent opportunities for students to break awa
y from the mon oto ny of a rigi d and
pro v~ classroom environrne_!lt) Tho ugh the
learning that take s plac e in a mat hem atic s club
· ~; nnal in nature, it is mea ning ful as the stre
15 ss is on practical applications. In mat hem atic
b ~e student cho ose s the acti viti ~•s on his s
own , and pur sue s the m in a free and rela xed
clu .er contrarY to the atm osp her e prev aili ng in a
:pr ess ion for the students and it supplements
classroom. Clu b pro vid es a lot of freedom
classroom learning. .
12.4.1 Functions of the Mathematics Club
Toe functions of the mathematics club can be sum
mar ised as under:
7' Mathematics club helps in the proper utilisation of leisure time.
T' h helps in arousing and maintaining students' interest in mathematics.
/ · It provides the stud ents wit h opp ortu niti
es to dev elo p the ir explorative, creative and
inventive faculties.
, .,. It inculcates the hab it of self-study and inde
pen den t wor k amo ng the students.
- It offers an idea l ave nue for a free exc han ge
of mat hem atic al ide as and for frank and
, helpful criticism of thes e ideas. . . ··
& l t provides an info rma l and a soc ial atm
osp her e wh ich the clas sro om can hardly
provide.
- It offers excellent opp ortu niti es for free con side
rati on of matters 9f special interest to die
~~~hers wit hou t the nec ess ity of foll owi ng any par ticu
c"-1:)sroom. lar seq uen ce as·required iaa

<"' ~:helps.in developing heuristic and problem-solving attitude among the SIUdcnls.
/ a: i:: :~ ~~ es _for students to translate
the theory into practice and to apply
1/h he daily life sttuations.
· atld !1:en~ ~tudent to imbibe soc ial qua litie s like coo per atio n,
tole ran ce, adju stm ent,
lllindedness, as they wo rk in gro ups .
270 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - T e a c h i n g o f M a t h
e111•t1ti
/ 1t helps to meet individual needs of the students as every member gets an 0 1'Portuni
work in his areas of interest. fyto
It offers a good platform for students to listen to renowned mathematicians .
. h
mathematics teachers and educationists and to acquaint t emselves with the i;;
'CllllhA....

developments in mathematics .
.-L--1 The infonnal knowledge acquired through mathematics club activities suppl~
classroom learning.
Mathematics clubs extend Ieamin_g be~o_n~ the limits of the classroom. Thougticlllbs
may meet during school hours, therr acttv1ttes may often extend to out of schoo1-.._
at home, in the laboratory, in the field etc.
Club activities provide first hand experiences to the learners as they participate in~
making, arranging for exhibition, field work, laboratory work and so on.

12.4.2 Organisation of Mathematics Club

A properly organised mathematics club goes a long way in stimulating interest 80Qlg11t
students in mathematics. It is desirable that the initiative for the organisation of such a chi
should come from the students. It should be run by the students under the supervision and
guidance ofl}le mathematics teacher. The objectives of the club should be clearly stated am
understood by all the members. Emphasis should be on active participation of~ membm.A
draft constitution of the club can be prepared by the mathematics teacher, in consultatim wilh
the headmaster, to facilitate the smooth functioning of the mathematics club. This cW
constitution provides information on name of the club, aims and objectives of the club,
membership details and membership fees, purposes for which the expenditure can be DlCIDll
the competent authority to sanction the fund, the various offices available and the poceGB
for filling up such offices, etc
The following office-bearers are essential for the successful working of the mMh-t-◄'1
club.
Paa-on : 1he mathematics club should have the head of the institution a its Plll'OD-
Spomor : One of the senior mathematics teachers can be the si,oneor of *
mathematics club.
Memben : All the mathematics students of the school can be members of the cluh n-,,
students who are interested in mathematics can be the as.50Ciate mem~
However, the membership of the club should be, as far as possible, C,:
homogenous as regards age and grade level in order that progranunes
may be of interest to all the members can be arranged.
 ----- 271
, , -s,
• , ~,~till 1..... for l\111thl'1trnlks - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
l t4111111~

. . I I·•
l\llll'C s 10u u be formed including the following
members
. ~, • :\tl c~l'CUltv~ Cl)ll\l
t.\'"•utin .
,n11tfl't •
(\'" dc.'\'h..'\i or nomm~1h.:<l fmm mnong the students.
- l'hiinn:m
- St\.·n·tn.ry
- Assist~mt Sc..~n:tary
_ T1·f ~\SllR'f
- L)n~- ('If t\\ \) chi.~ n:pres1..•ntntives fonu each chiss

Outit'S of the Office-Bearers

f 1..,r the dlki ent and successful working of the mathematics club,
it is advisable to
~-niJI\'Jte the duties of each office-bearer.

:. The rx1tron of th~ club takes a keen interest in all the activ
ities of the club. He
fstnlD
or she is responsibl~ for providing all possible facilities to the club.
Sptm~or : The sponsor takes initiative to start the mathematics club
and motivates the
of a
students to plun and carry out a number of activities. His role is that
guide! an advisor~a supervisor and a facilitator
Cbainnsnof
tht [1ecuth-e
Committee : The chainmm ~ to convene and preside over executive
committee meeting.,.
Memhfrs of
tht [1ec uth·e
full co-operation in
Committee : ~{embers of the executive committee have to extend their
planning and cart)ing out the programmes of the mathematics club.
comultation with the
S«ttt1ry : The secretary calls for executive conunitt~ me(tings in
chaim1an and in accordance with the provisions of the constituti
on. He is
required to maintain a proper record of the various activities of the
club and
die minutes of the executive committee 01\.~tings.

: The assistant Sc.'Cretnry's role is to assist the s~retruy in his duties

and in the
absence of the secretwy, perfonn the mle of the St"Cretary.
g the
: The treasurer is responsible for '-'Oll«ting membfflhip fees and maintainin
correct accowit of the income and expenJin~.
12.4Js11
1&ested Activities for a Mathematics Club
~~ PIOgramme of mathematics clubs may cowr a wide ranac of topics. The topics ~Y
history of mathematics, biographical sketches, evolution and development of certain
 ----- ----- --T~ -Z't flf-- .._
272 - ~
. me sclcc.tc<l t(Jpic.1 fr,,m any brand, ,,f 11'4',.__
aspects of present day mathc~at1_c~, S<f> ~hcrnatic1 ttJ other $lJhject., ar,d fields Al~
games and contests, an d apphcat,on o . ma . d ~ upon tJ-,e at(e and ad-,~'" -._- _ ---,
f h am mes and top1c!I wt 11 ~.~, ~ ~.,
The nature o t e progr · d facilities available and tr.e advana.age. ~ la-. \
members of the club, the sources an ammcs for the v,t,ole ~ ._
gramm es. It i~ dc~ir,ihlc to plan the progr •
pro be d rtaken by a mathematJc s club,.._,.._
Some of the activities that can un c --, ~-~
foll~ ing types:-
- Organising mathemaricaJ exhibitions or fairs . •
Organising lectures on important topics of mathematJcs by emment IC\:laa._
teachers.
_ Celebrating historical days and events of mathematical signlfiran~ (&ampe:. ....
of eminent mathematicians)
_ Organising inter-school contests and quiz competitions on topics of rd 1d
interest.
- Helping in the establishment and maintenance of mathematics Jataaory
- Preparing charts, models and improvised apparatus for the mado1ratia lal, 1 ;.JI
mathematics classroom.
- Helping in the organisation and maintenance of mathematics libary.
- Arranging for listening to the radio broadcast on topics of mathona6a, i-• «st
- Arranging for watching appropriate UGC programme s wrnatheoaaf.n;ltl ◄-
Doordarshan.
- Organising seminars ~r lectures on history of mathematics, biogJapncs fl a · mtl h
mathematicians, evolution of certain mathematical concep15. qrilitariaa 111111•
mathematics, some selected topics from arithmetic, alge~ poudiy, q+ , ..
so on.
- Conducting useful individual or group projects in mathematics.
Organising field worlc and field trips to places of mathematical irl1ClaL
Writing articles rewed to marhemati for
.. cs the school magazine or D1Allt MJ _....
- Orgarusmg recreatjonaJ activities in mathemaf b Ill ri417.,
problems, mathematical fa11ac • 1cs sue a p1m~
tes, number pmes and so on.
Publication of newsleuer and bulletin of the club.
Preparing exhibits of mmbcrn•dcal interat for the buU • 1k r • " "
and matbtmatics laboratory. ~ bollnl lfff- -A
IWiliaWI
 JP'r11iPI Resc>
urces for Math emat ics --- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -2 73'
'fhUS a math emat ics club gets the students acqu ainte d with a
wide of rang e of topic s
. to math emat ics. The succ ess of a math emat ics club depe
nds upon the enth usia sm
retattnSby the teach er as well as the invo lvem ent of the
stud ents in the activ ities and
sh0~ e s organised by the club .

pro f' Id Trips and Fiel d Wo rk

1z.5 ae .
field trips and field work ar~ two 1mp o~t mearis of effective teach i~~ and learning.
. prov ide the stud ents with oppo rtuni ties to have direc t experien~1.:s with out-o f-
nfield tr1P 5~
L,: hoot life, where~s fi•~ Id ~ork prov i.des expe~1en .
ces in appl ying wha t th~y have learn t in
SC m"to real hfe situa tions . For the field tnp and fieldwork
ias.sroo to be prod uctiv e and useful
d and follo wed up. For field,
' should be prop erly p_lann ed, exec ~ted , supervised, eval uate
~y and field work, the stud ents i:nay be ~en to place
s of math emat ical ink-~est such as ~
::ce, telegra~h. ~ffic~, bank s, railw ay stations, )vork shop s, agric
ultural fi~lds,_ industries etc.
I)Uiing these v1s1ts stu~ e~ts may be aske d to ~ppl~ ~~ relev antm athe
mat1 cal idea s to do the
work in the places ofv1s1ts. For ~~am ple, ~hil e v_1s1tmg
a bank , the stud ent can get fami liar
with pamphlets and brou cher s g1vmg deta ils of diffe rent type
s of depo sits and inter est rates
d various sche mes offe red by the bank . The stud ents may
be aske d to choo se the best
:heme, or aske d to calc ulate the yield for a parti cula r princ
ipal for a give n perio d of time .
While visiting an agricultural field, the stude nts may be aske
d to find the area of the field or the
cost incwred for sowi ng seeds or digg ing a well in the
field or to find the height' of a tree, etc.
These kinds of field work give hand s-on -exp erien ce in prac tical
appl icati on of mathematics;
making mathematics learning a mean ingfu l and worthwhile
exercise.
Advantages of Field Trips and Field Work
The field trips and field wor k serv e man y usef ul purp oses
whic h can be brief ly
~ as follows.
· ·
/ They prQvide ri~ ~,.e ~en r&S ..1Q .th. e.m !4e nts .
"'\ They elicit mea ning ful resp onse s from the stud ents as they
actu ally parti cipa te in the
activity.
'~P bey prov ide real life like ex~ rien ces_~ _planning_~exec
I .:_ ~e tc.
utin g, obse rvin g, ~
- .. . .
11 The_ mathematical knowledge that the students gain through the
direct experience by
P'drticipatmg in field work is a good meaningful mental exercise and
longer period. can be retained for 8
*\, By P~c al application of the mathematical.concepts ~re al
lif~.situations the stUdents
,~ lllade ~ reatiSC the-true vai"UCOr ~ t i c s .
.
· PmVide better link between school and commwuty.
+ + +