Dishaa

 

Mathematics Lab at Eureka School,Koovathur

Eureka Nursery and Primary Schools (www.eurekaschool.org) were founded in 2006 by AID INDIA and Banca Sella, with the vision of providing high quality affordable education to rural children. There are 2 schools, one in Parameswaramangalam village near Kalpakkam and the other in Venketrayanpettai  village near Kanchipuram catering to 300 students from LKG to Class 5. Most children enrolled in Eureka Schools belong to very poor families residing in villages around these schools. Eureka School makes a promise to all its children that they will achieve their full potential, irrespective of their social and financial disadvantages. The main tenets Eureka School has adopted in order to deliver its promise are relevant and meaningful teaching learning methodology, simple yet attractive teaching learning materials, dedicated teachers, focus on learning outcomes and a child-friendly school environment.

In line with the above philosophy, a Math lab was proposed to be set up at Eureka School Parameswaramangalam by Chandra, the Managing Trustee of the school. Kavitha Rajaram - Project Managed the initiative along with a few like-minded volunteers to raise funds and set up a Math lab procuring math based activity tools from various resource organizations. Most of the tools were procured from various non-profit centers mapping the skill sets that are relevant for each class.

Math is usually the subject that children fear most in school. In Eureka School, right from Class 1, Math has always been taught in a fun way, through hands-on activities and concrete materials. The Math lab has been set up to take children’s understanding of math concepts and hence, their love for math to the next level. At the Math lab, children will understand and learn to explain the ‘why’ and ‘how’ of solving problems rather than just ‘what to do’. Worksheets will be provided to children to expose them to a variety of Math problems. Besides; the challenging puzzles, models and games are intended to enhance students’ lateral thinking and problem-solving abilities.

The lab was sponsored by Dishaa Charitable Trust at a cost of little more than Rs.1 lakh.

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