MATHEMATICS CLUB

There should be a place for a school of today to widen the knowledge of his students. A good teacher can involve his students in a number of co-curricular activities. Among them, mathematics club is also are to create interest and maintaining interest in mathematics using the structures be encouraged to themselves into mathematics club. Certain activities like discussions, lectures, certain mathematical games can be arranged. Totally this is helpful to the students in having an idea of the practical utility of mathematics in addition to creating their interest in mathematics.

Objectives of Mathematics club:

    The objectives of mathematics club can be summarized as under.

·         Mathematics club helps in the proper utilization of leisure time.

·         It helps in arousing and maintaining students’ interest in mathematics.

·         It provides the students with opportunities to develop their explorative, creative and inventive faculties.

·         It inculcates the habit of self-study and independent work among the students.

·         It offers an ideal avenue for a free exchange of mathematical ideas and for frank and helpful criticism of these ideas.

·         It provides an informal and a social atmosphere, which the classroom can hardly provide.

·         It offers excellent opportunities for free consideration of matters of special interest to the members without the necessity of following any particular sequence as required in a classroom.

·         It helps in developing heuristic and problem solving attitude among the students.

·         It provides opportunities for students to translate the theory into practice and to apply their learning in daily life situations.

·         It helps the student to imbibe social qualities like co-operation, tolerance, adjustment and open-mindedness, as they work in groups.

·         It helps to meet individual needs of the students are every member gets an opportunity to work in his areas of interest.

·         The informal knowledge acquired through mathematics club activities supplements classroom learning.

·         Mathematics clubs extend learning beyond the limits of the classroom.

·         Mathematics clubs may meet during school hours, their activities may often extend to out of school hours at home in the laboratory, in the field etc.

·         Club activities provide first hand experiences to the learners as they participate in model making, arranging for exhibition, field work, laboratory work and so on.

Importance:

1.         It is useful in arousing and maintaining interest in mathematics.

2.         It stimulates the active participation of the students.

3.         The knowledge gained by students in various functions of such club activities supplements the classroom teaching.

4.         It provides the students and opportunity of free discussion and they are benefited from one another’s view.

5.         Gifted students get an opportunity to satisfy their needs and interest by actively participating in the activities of such clubs and organization.

6.         It gives the students basic training in such programmes.

7.         It is helpful in making proper utilization of leisure time.

8.         It helps in developing the habit of self-study among the students.

9.         It proves helpful in acquainting the students with the latest knowledge and developments in mathematics.

10.     It gives them opportunity to translate the theory into practice and to make use of their learning in day to day life.

11.     It provides opportunity to discuss the classroom topics in detail and this helps in knowing more and more about the subject.

12.     It gives an opportunity to work together then the students learn the lesson of co-operation.

13.     The students get opportunity of mathematical hobbies relation, projects, games, discussions talks etc.

14.     It provides an opportunity of listening to experts and teachers from outside.

15.     It provides an opportunity to inter school and intra school mathematical competitions.

16.     It can organize excursion and visits of mathematical value.

17.     It is an agency to prepare and display mathematical illustration.

18.     It helps in the decoration of mathematics classroom.

19.     It provides inspiration for independent in such work and thus helps in grooming future mathematics.

20.     Through its various programmes, it provides opportunity to the parent and other members of the community to familiar with the school.

21.     It provides to same students to the opportunity of leadership.

22.     It can arrange mathematical exhibitions.

23.     It can help in educational and vocational guidance in respect of mathematics.

Organization:

           A Mathematics club if properly organized will be a great help in teaching of mathematics. Such a club should be run by the students under the guidance and supervision of their teacher. For proper running of the club the most important thing is the preparation of a draft constitution of the club. This draft is prepared by the Mathematics teacher in consultation with the head of the institution. The draft constitution should provide all important details about the name of the club, aims and objectives of the club, details regarding membership and the fees etc. To be paid by members, purpose for which the expenditure can be incurred and person competent to approve such an expenditure.                         

            For efficient and successful working of Mathematics clubs is expert body has suggested the organization as under.

1.       Head of the institution as its patron.

2.       A senior mathematics teacher as adivisor.

3.       Membership of the club is open to all the mathematics students of the school.

4.       Associate-membership may be allowed to some other students interested in Mathematics.

5.       The club should have an elected executive committee for the academic year. This execution should include the following duties of members of maths club.

a)      Chairman

b)      Secretary

c)       Assist. Secretary

d)      Treasurer

 a) Chairman:

              He being the elected representative of the student should be asked to preside over all the formal functions organized by the club. He has also to preside over the meetings of the executive committee of the club.

b) Secretary:

He is also an elected member of students and is to look after and maintain a proper record of various activities of the club. He should keep a true record of the meeting of the executive committee. He is also responsible to carry out all correspondence on behalf of the club and to extend invitation to speakers and guests for various functions of the club.

c) Assistant Secretary:

            His main role is to assist the secretary in performance of their duties, i.e., in the absence of secretary he has to carry out all the functions of the secretary.

d) Treasurer:

He is the person who is responsible for collection of membership fees for the club. He has also to maintain proper account of receipts and expenditure of the club.

  These members of executive committee are expected to extend their active co-operation and participate actively in clubs programme. He should utilize his knowledge and influence to make the programmes of the club success.

Activities of Mathematics club:

i)                    Organizing inter-class, inter-school competitions on some interesting mathematical topics.

ii)                   Arranging a lecture by some renowned mathematics teacher and scholar.

iii)                 Celebrating days and events pertaining to the history of mathematics or men of mathematics.

iv)                 Organising discussions about the practical applications of mathematics.

v)                  Organising recreational activities in mathematics such as puzzles, riddles, catch-problems, number games etc.

vi)                 Making or collecting charts, models, picture, graphs etc. for the mathematics laboratory.

vii)               Conducting related project activities.

viii)              Preparing items for well magazine?

ix)                 Organizing mathematical exhibitions (or) fairs.

x)                  Organizing certain outings of mathematical interest such as visits to post-offices, banks, market places, big business concerns etc.

xi)                 Making arrangements to listen to certain radio broadcasts on mathematical topics.

xii)               Organizing seminars and career course relating to mathematics.

Thus we see that mathematics club can cover a wide variety of topics relating to the subject. If the students participate in such activities whole-heartedly, then we derive great benefit. The club can go a long way in arousing and maintaining interest of the students. They will develop love for the subject. The utility of mathematics club depends upon the interest shown by the teacher and the extent to which the students are motivated to take part in the activities of mathematics club.