From the Author
We all agree that mathematics plays a major role in almost all subjects and in most of our every day life activities. However, mathematics is commonly seen as a dry, difficult and boring subject. Students never get convinced on why they need to learn Calculus and Trigonometry. They get irritated when you ask them to find the term independent of x in the expansion of \left(x+\dfrac{1}{x}\right)^5 using Binomial Theorem.
I am sure we all agree that mathematics starts with fun in early years and suddenly it gets abstract in the middle years, especially, with the introduction of algebra. If at all, the students’ love for mathematics survived through their middle years, they start to see a completely different approach to mathematics in their secondary level – we start borrowing Greek alphabets because the English alphabets are already exhausted!! My students used to count the days when they get to use numbers in maths classes and not those Greek letters! It starts to get more abstract in the form of proofs, equations, functions etc. Is there a way to make this transition lovable and enjoyable?
Having taught various curricula around the world, I am somewhat convinced that the basics of mathematics remain the same whichever system you adhere to. Hence, I started wondering what if we have a place where we can access any topic in mathematics be it Algebra or Calculus or Trigonometry or Statistics; what if in each topic we start with the very basic ideas that we learn in grade 6 or 7, and improve it all the way to grade 12 level or even undergraduate level. For example, in Algebra, you can see the course starts with very basic idea of ‘what is an unknown’ and goes all the way to functions, domain, range etc. This will, in my opinion, help the readers to choose their level in any of the topics and use them as they wish. For those who had not seen the transition of a concept during their middle school all the way to secondary school classes, this website will be a good platform to understand the concept holistically now.
Mathematics is a subject that needs to be learnt as it is and except for the learning methods, there are not many variations in the contents. Hence, this website will be very helpful whichever system you had adapted and whichever exam you might want to take.
The basic aim of this website is to give you the essence of mathematics and to enjoy it as a whole!
Once you know all about binomial theorem, can’t you answer any form of question on that from any education board? Why do you need to learn for the sake of answering your board exams, when you can enjoy learning the importance of calculus in finding the equation of a tangent to any curve? Come! Let us dig deep into the story called ‘mathematics’.
Happy Learning!
About the author:
Kalyani Shankar
Mrs. Kalyani Shankar has teaching high-school mathematics for more than three decades. She has worked in various curricula including the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), the National Examination Council of Tanzania (NECTA), the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) and the Internal Baccalaureate Diploma Program (IB DP). She is also an examiner for IB DP Mathematics AAHL papers and Internal Assessment.
Having had a flair for mathematics from a young age, she pursued it as a career to enlighten the future generation into the world of mathematics. From her observation in various schools, she found the need for students and teachers alike to join under one roof to teach and learn mathematics together. Her vision has been mapped into this website to provide a platform for mathematicians of all ages!