Hyderabad: Rock and roll to learn maths?

Hyderabad: Funny are the ways of the Education department. It has issued a memo to teach general subjects like mathematics using music and dance methods in classrooms.

Speaking to The Hans India, K Krishna Hari of Physical Training, Art and Craft Teachers' Association said, one can teach numerical with the help of drawing. "We do it in primary classes. Image of a candle is drawn on the board to teach numerical 1. Similarly, two birds to teach the numerical 2 are drawn. Drawing to some extent can be used to teach various geometric shapes like circle, square, rectangle etc, for the Class VI and VII students," he said. "But no teacher is trained to teach general subjects using dance or music as a mode of teaching.

This kind of training is not given in BEd. Schools have separate teachers for dance and music but they teach their respective subjects not general subjects," Krishna Hari said. "The intention of the government is appreciable as it wants to keep children better engrossed in subjects in a stress-free environment".

"But there is no teacher who can integrate dance and music with general subjects," said Sri Mani, a music teacher from a private school in Nacharam. He said some top schools in the city were organising meetings of teachers of all subjects periodically to see if the interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary interface was possible.

When contacted, a faculty member in the Government Music College, Koti, said there are methods and ways to teach some concepts of mathematics and other subjects using classical dances like Bharatanatyam or Kuchipudi, besides, Carnatic and Hindustani music. This can be possible only when subject experts from both the fields come together and come up with teaching methods and materials for the students depending on their class levels.

Clarifying the issue, Telangana State Council of Higher Education (TSCHE), Chairman, Prof T Papi Reddy said, recently several interdisciplinary courses have been introduced at the degree level as well as postgraduate level in the State. But, it will take time for the interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary to take root. "We are still following the British education system followed in the country," he added.