Course-5 Understanding Disciplines and School Subjects pmd

2.5. 2. Introduction
All of us agree with the fact that mathematics is considered as one of the most impor-
tant and essential school subjects. Throughout the centuries, mathematics has been
recognised as one of the central strands of human intellectual activity. From the very begin-
ning, mathematics has been a living and growing intellectual pursuit. It has its roots in
everyday activities and forms the basic structure of our highly advanced technological
developments. It comprises intricate and delicate structures which have a strong aesthetic
appeal. It also offers opportunities for opening the mind to new lines of creative ideas and
challenging thought. Undoubtedly, the mechanism of resolving an intractable problem of-
fers the most intense of all intellectual pleasures. At the same time, it is reputed to be, and
rightly so, the most hypothetical of all sciences. Mathematics is also considered as the
mother of all sciences. It exhibits connections between things which can be visualized only
through the agency of human reason.
The word "mathematics" has been used in two distinct and different senses, i.e., one
as a method used to solve the problems of quantity, space, order, etc., and the second as a
set of laws or generalizations of truths that are discovered. Most teachers think of it as a
tool in science, commerce and industry and are not able to appreciate its nature as a way to
think and what connects its various branches into a single logical framework of proof
structure. Many questions which usually arise in the minds of teachers need to be resolved.
What are the aims and purposes of teaching mathematics? What are the new methods and
new ways of thinking about mathematics? This unit gives an exposure to teachers  the
importance of teaching Mathematics as one of the school subjects.