CHENNAI: ‘Most kids cringe at the mention of Math’ and it is a common refrain in city schools. But for those children whose math interests lie beyond their class syllabus, a new after-school programme is in the offing. Called The Spirit of Math, this year-round math course is among Canada’s most popular ones for school kids. It will be launched for the first time in India in Chennai this year.According to Priya Gopalen, who is organising the program’s foray into Chennai, the Spirit of Math is not just about ensuring speed and accuracy but also about better conceptual understanding. “The tests are well-worded and foster analytical thinking,” she says. One look at the model questions for the programme, and you understand what she is saying. For instance, a second grader will have a simple, well-worded poser- Farmer Joe’s chickens and goats walking through a field. If there were 12 heads and 38 legs, how many goats were there? For a seventh grader-My analog watch started to run backwards at 1 p.m. yesterday. At what hour did it next display the correct time?For Priya, who relocated to Chennai from Canada last year, it was her 9-year-old son’s interest in the Spirit of Math that led to this decision to launch it in Chennai. “He had attended two years of the Spirit of Math programme in Toronto, and when we moved to Chennai, we arranged for training to continue over the internet as he liked it a lot. And then, we thought why not bring it to Chennai,” she says.The Spirit of Math programme will involve 90 minute classes once a week in the evening, during which training will be imparted, apart from drills to ensure speed in math. The children will also be given homework, while regular evaluation will be held. Every year of the programme, the child will have 40 hours of classroom training and 60 hours of self-training to hone their math skills. “This is not like tuition for school children where they’re taught again what the school teaches them. Instead, the programme has an independent syllabus based on which evaluations are made, and certificates awarded,” she emphasises.As it is an advanced math programme, the eligibility criterion for students has been kept at over 80 per cent average score in school. The fee structure and venue for the course are yet to be finalised, and in its first year, the programme will be introduced for level I-VI, she says. For details, check www.spiritofmath.com/india for more details.
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