A Deep Insight into School Mathematics Education Research

The Department of Mathematics is organising the eighth distinguished lecture by Prof. K Subramaniam, a renowned academician and scholar at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in Mumbai, India on April 19, 2023. This resourceful session will be on the topic “How can Education Research make a Difference? A Perspective from Mathematics Education”. The talk will elaborate on school mathematics education research with an emphasis on critical education research and pedagogical research.

Join the session and gain insight into how education research can play a significant role in influencing the institution of education itself!

Abstract

We must remember that education is a complex social institution shaped by larger social, political and economic forces. Research in science or mathematics education makes a small but vital contribution to this constellation. The focus of the talk will be on school mathematics education research, with emphasis on distinguishing critical educational research from curricular and pedagogical research, arguing that both are needed. Drawing on the curricular and pedagogical research done at the Homi Bhabha Centre, some examples will be discussed on how research can make small but significant contributions. The examples will also serve to communicate a picture of what such research involves. The speaker will also highlight some agenda for work within research as well as finding institutional homes for such research.

About the Speaker

K Subramaniam (Ravi) is a Professor at the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in Mumbai, India. His main research interests are the design and organisation of core areas of the middle-grade mathematics curriculum such as fractions, proportional thinking, geometric measurement and algebra, and the specialized knowledge that teachers need to teach effectively at this level. His other interests are the integration of out-of-school knowledge and school learning of mathematics, frameworks for analysis of mathematics teaching and the role of visualization in the learning of science. He has contributed to the work of curriculum and textbook committees and to in-service teacher professional development in India. He has also played a central role in building and nurturing a community of mathematics educators in India.

Prof. Subramaniam has also contributed to formulating education policy through his participation in the focus group on the teaching of mathematics, the syllabus committees for NCF-2005, and the curriculum and textbook committees for the state of Maharashtra (since 2011). He is a member of the National Council of Teacher Education (2013-present). He has a BTech in Aeronautical engineering from IIT Madras and a PhD in philosophy from IIT Bombay. His PhD dissertation was on aspects of the philosophy of history, with a focus on the Continental Philosopher Heidegger.