The mathematics education community is constantly engaged in finding out how children best learn mathematics. The current National Curriculum Framework (NCF-2005) in India, developed by NCERT describes two goals, a “narrow aim” and a “higher aim” of mathematics education. The higher aim is about developing the children’s inner resources to think and reason mathematically, so that they become capable of making logical conclusions and handling abstractions. While following the „narrow aims” means equipping children with very good algorithmic skills by just having them remember the formulas.  At NCERT our  ambition is to chieve this „higher aim” rather than only the „narrow aim”.

As NCF recommends, the teacher’s role is to create opportunities for children to build their own understanding of concepts. However, if only we could discover precisely how children best learn mathematics then we could work out exactly how to teach them the subject in the most effective way.

It is easy to realize that GeoGebra promotes experimental learning and  can be used to represent mathematical content in multiple ways. So, the question – is can an innovative integration of GeoGebra in Mathematics curriculum support the learning of mathematics adapted to the children’s own learning styles?

Even though GeoGebra can influence what is taught, teachers need to design the suitable instructions and environment that best support this approach. Well-applied  GeoGebra can support  requirements of learning outcomes  as it helps the children process mathematical concepts through investigation and problem solving.

GeoGebra can also be seen as a catalyst for a paradigm shift. Since educational materials and books became accessible for everyone jn an electronic form, education has experienced a gradual shift away from the idea that its success relies on the student’s capacity to memorize and accurately recall large amounts of information.

Instead, greater emphasis has been placed on developing research and problem-solving skills; on equipping students with effective inquiry skills, including the ability to find and process new information using digital technologies. Many educators now see GeoGebra, with its interconnectedness, as an environment rather than just a tool for learning and teaching. The difference between these two perspectives is significant, the former requiring a fundamental change in methodology and teaching practice for many teachers. We should draw a road map for achieving the ultimate target of the highly progressive GeoGebra enabled Mathematics curriculum.

P.K. Chaurasia will be one of our key-note speakers at the pre-ATCM GeoGebra conference in Mumbai, December 2013. Follow his work at http://pkchaurasia.iitiancollege.info.

In countries like India educational software technologies seem still out of reach due to internet access problems in schools and the high cost of most educational softwares. Since GeoGebra can be downloaded for free on a single laptop, then uploaded to many computers, and can be run without any internet access, it creates a favourable learning environment.

Other than Internet access, another critical factor is the IT knowledge of teachers working in a digital environment. A “higher aim” set in the Indian National Curriculum Framework now is to the develop the children’s inner resources to think and reason mathematically, to be able to come to logical conclusions and handle abstraction. This requires teachers to fundamentally change their teaching methods. That is also why professional development related to GeoGebra is not only about learning how to enter a digital environment, but also about discovering its new, pedagogical potential in everyday teaching.

Other than one-time workshops, regular follow-up activities and an easy-to-reach mentoring system are necessary, too, so that teachers feel more confident about the use of the software in their classes.

GeoGebra Institutes in India provide high quality, children focused trainings and support teachers while overcoming these problems.

After a successful GeoGebra workshop in Bhilai, another one was held also in India, 9 10th February, 2013 at the Delhi Public School in Patna, Bihar State. The workshop was organized by Delhi Public School in Patna in order to get the participating teachers acquainted with the use of the software and discuss how to integrate it into everyday teaching. Dr. Praveen Kumar Chaurasia (Assistant Professor, GI National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), see http://pkchaurasia.iitiancollege.info/) was the resource person for the workshop, and focused his training on the possibility of using GeoGebra in child-centered learning, highlighting the pedagogical aspects of the software rather than technical ones. Dr. P.K. Chaurasia also talked about the National Curriculum Framework in India and its recommendation for child-centered learning which can be fulfilled using Geogebra. His experience tells us that children use GG as a cognitive tool that helps them to construct meaning based on their prior knowledge and conceptual framework. He showed the participants how to design applets using the software. Right after this session everybody created their own applets.

In the next blog post we will share the latest news about the work of GeoGebra Institute, Kerala, which is now linking GeoGebra with its empowering social business activities.

Guest post by Réka Berkes

A similar kind of workshop is going to take place on Saturday, 19th January 2013 at Maitri College. Again the students will be from department of education (B.Ed. and D.Ed.) with mathematics background. I will share some of the photographs of the event also.

Guest post by Sanjay Gulati, GeoGebra Ambassador