Math Professor Connects Teaching Method in India, US
2022-12-18
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1Growing up in India, Vinay Kanth Rao loved math and knew that he wanted to teach math someday.
2After earning his master's degree in mathematics from the National Institute of Technology in Warangal, India, he entered the doctoral program at the University of Colorado in the United States.
3While Vinay was teaching a math class at Colorado, a student asked him a question that became a turning point for him about the subject.
4One of the students just asked me: 'Why am I learning this?' Now, that is the question I did not ask myself for probably 25 years... That was when I realized, OK-if you're learning something, you should be able to use it, OK? Or at least, down the line, it should be applicable.
5Vinay also learned that in the U.S. he could study not only math but, importantly, ways to teach math.
6In 2016 he transferred to the University of Southern Mississippi, where he studied mathematics education at the Center for Science and Mathematics Education, or CSME.
7He was able to explore and develop ways of improving mathematics instruction.
8Vinay said: "That decision changed my entire life."
9Vinay brought increased use of visuals, computer games, and inquiry-based instruction to his teaching.
10Inquiry-based means students work together to answer questions with some help from a teacher rather than only listening to a teacher's explanation.
11Sherry Herron, a former director of CSME, was Vinay's mentor at Southern Mississippi.
12She talked about Vinay in an article on the university website: "I have never seen a student with such motivation, creativity, intelligence, and work ethic, and who can produce so much and so many diverse products."
13In 2018, Vinay founded the Active Learning Institute in Warangal to bring the inquiry-based teaching method to students and teachers in India.
14He raised $15,000 to support it and traveled to Warangal several times before the COVID-19 pandemic slowed progress.
15Vinay said that in India, mathematics education is so competitive that students feel like they are in a "pressure cooker."
16Many people in India think that becoming an engineer or a doctor are the only ways to find career success.
17This makes them feel extra pressure when they study math, and it often makes them dislike the subject.
18At the Active Learning Institute, Vinay is trying to change that.
19First, he teaches smaller groups of students-about 20 in a class-compared to normal classes with 60 to 100 students.
20Second, he uses inquiry-based methods to help the students learn.
21Then, he brings workers in areas besides engineering to his classes to show that there are many other math-related careers.
22Vinay currently teaches at the University of Missouri-St. Louis in St. Louis, Missouri.
23He recently talked to VOA about the differences between mathematics education in the U.S. and India.
24He said Indian students generally have stronger foundations in math.
25They are better at memorizing and solving problems.
26But American students are better at showing the connection between math and its applications.
27And smaller class size in the U.S. means Vinay could give his students more one-on-one help.
28Radia Farid recently took two classes with Vinay at Missouri-St. Louis.
29She said Vinay "used a lot of real-world applications, and those would help you visualize the concepts that we were learning. And examples would include animation and game development."
30Long term, Vinay wants to help more people enjoy learning math.
31He plans to create more teaching materials that use visuals and show the applications of math like the popular Love of Physics talks.
32He also hopes to create software to help high school math teachers with preparing teaching materials.
33But, perhaps, his biggest goal is to bring the U.S. model of community colleges to India.
34Community colleges teach students skills for different careers, such as automotive repair or information technology.
35Students usually need two years of study or less to complete their training.
36And that will increase opportunities for people in India who cannot enter university programs.
37I'm Andrew Smith. And I'm Caty Weaver.
1Growing up in India, Vinay Kanth Rao loved math and knew that he wanted to teach math someday. 2After earning his master's degree in mathematics from the National Institute of Technology in Warangal, India, he entered the doctoral program at the University of Colorado in the United States. While Vinay was teaching a math class at Colorado, a student asked him a question that became a turning point for him about the subject. 3One of the students just asked me: 'Why am I learning this?' Now, that is the question I did not ask myself for probably 25 years... That was when I realized, OK-if you're learning something, you should be able to use it, OK? Or at least, down the line, it should be applicable. 4Vinay also learned that in the U.S. he could study not only math but, importantly, ways to teach math. 5In 2016 he transferred to the University of Southern Mississippi, where he studied mathematics education at the Center for Science and Mathematics Education, or CSME. He was able to explore and develop ways of improving mathematics instruction. 6Vinay said: "That decision changed my entire life." 7Vinay brought increased use of visuals, computer games, and inquiry-based instruction to his teaching. Inquiry-based means students work together to answer questions with some help from a teacher rather than only listening to a teacher's explanation. 8Sherry Herron, a former director of CSME, was Vinay's mentor at Southern Mississippi. She talked about Vinay in an article on the university website: "I have never seen a student with such motivation, creativity, intelligence, and work ethic, and who can produce so much and so many diverse products." 9Active learning in India 10In 2018, Vinay founded the Active Learning Institute in Warangal to bring the inquiry-based teaching method to students and teachers in India. He raised $15,000 to support it and traveled to Warangal several times before the COVID-19 pandemic slowed progress. 11Vinay said that in India, mathematics education is so competitive that students feel like they are in a "pressure cooker." Many people in India think that becoming an engineer or a doctor are the only ways to find career success. This makes them feel extra pressure when they study math, and it often makes them dislike the subject. 12At the Active Learning Institute, Vinay is trying to change that. First, he teaches smaller groups of students-about 20 in a class-compared to normal classes with 60 to 100 students. Second, he uses inquiry-based methods to help the students learn. Then, he brings workers in areas besides engineering to his classes to show that there are many other math-related careers. 13Differences between American and Indian students 14Vinay currently teaches at the University of Missouri-St. Louis in St. Louis, Missouri. He recently talked to VOA about the differences between mathematics education in the U.S. and India. He said Indian students generally have stronger foundations in math. They are better at memorizing and solving problems. But American students are better at showing the connection between math and its applications. And smaller class size in the U.S. means Vinay could give his students more one-on-one help. 15Radia Farid recently took two classes with Vinay at Missouri-St. Louis. She said Vinay "used a lot of real-world applications, and those would help you visualize the concepts that we were learning. And examples would include animation and game development." 16What's next? 17Long term, Vinay wants to help more people enjoy learning math. He plans to create more teaching materials that use visuals and show the applications of math like the popular Love of Physics talks. He also hopes to create software to help high school math teachers with preparing teaching materials. 18But, perhaps, his biggest goal is to bring the U.S. model of community colleges to India. Community colleges teach students skills for different careers, such as automotive repair or information technology. 19Students usually need two years of study or less to complete their training. And that will increase opportunities for people in India who cannot enter university programs. 20I'm Andrew Smith. And I'm Caty Weaver. 21Andrew Smith wrote this story for VOA Learning English. 22_______________________________________________________________ 23Words in This Story 24transfer -v. to move something or someone from one place or category to another 25visuals -n. images used to in designs or displays 26mentor -n. a person who gives special instruction and guidance to another, commonly for training in a specific subject or type of work 27motivation -n. a strong desire to do something 28ethic -n. a value or moral belief that influences behavior 29diverse -adj. having a lot of variety or different kinds 30foundation -n. a base upon which other things depend or may be built 31concept -n. an idea or abstract principle 32animation -n. visual effects in which drawings or cartoons appear to be in motion 33opportunity -n. the chance or possibility of doing something one wants to do 34______________________________________________________________ 35We want to hear from you. 36We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 37Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.