Associate Professor

Dr Jayasree Subramanian

Department of Mathematics

Interests
  1. Teaching Higher Mathematics
  2. Mathematics Education Research and Resource Development
  3. Critical and Social Justice Concerns in Mathematics Education
  4. Feminist Science Studies

Short Biography

  • I have an interdisciplinary background. My Ph D was in Algebraic Number Theory from University of Hyderabad. After a couple of postdoctoral fellowships in Mathematics, I started reading a lot of literature on Feminist Science Studies and carried out an empirical work to understand how gender makes a difference to doing science in India. In 2005 I joined the Curriculum Research and Material Development Unit of Eklavya Foundation, Bhopal and worked with them on Mathematics Education at the grassroot level for seven years, before joining the Azim Premji School of Education at Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Hyderabad.

Education

1983

Madras University
India
B.Sc.

1985

Bharathi Dasan University
India
M.Sc.

1990

University of Hyderabad
India
M.Phil

1997

University of Hyderabad
India
Ph.D.

Experience

  • February to August 2019, Visiting Fellow | Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education, TIFR, Mumbai
  • 2012-2018, Associate Professor | Azim Premji School of education- Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Hyderabad
  • 2005-2012, Fellow in the Curriculum Research and Material Development Unit | Eklavya Foundation, Bhopal
  • 2003-2005, Faculty Member | ICFAI, Bangalore
  • May to October 2002, Visiting Fellow | National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bangalore
  • 2000-2002, Faculty Member | Hyderabad Presidency College, Hyderabadli>

Professional Services

Research Interest

  • Teacher Professional Development in Mathematics is clearly the most important area to focus on in order to meet the challenge of quality mathematics education in India. Teachers have very little scope to continue to improve their knowledge and also benefit from current research in mathematics education. Moreover, teaching and learning of mathematics in a complex socio-cultural and economic context calls for more than having sound subject knowledge. Action Research Projects aimed at working with teachers in real classrooms to understand the challenges and possibilities teachers encounter would contribute to mathematics education in India in very important ways.
  • Exploring ethnomathematical knowledge of the communities of weavers in the Andhra Pradesh and Telangana region: Ethnomathematics is an active area of research in mathematics education that seeks to understand mathematical knowledge forms brought into exitance by different communities and incorporate them as part of school curriculum. India has several artisanal communities still engaged in arts and crafts that call for knowledge of mathematics. Andhra Pradesh has several different communities of weavers engaged in specific forms of weaving. An attempt will be made to understand some of mathematical knowledge evolved by a couple of weaving communities in the context of their work.
  • Equity and excellence in Mathematics Education: It is fairly well accepted that excellence in mathematics education is still a distant dream for several marginalized groups. However, the mechanisms by which exclusion happens is determined by locally specific factors. Gender difference in performance in mathematics is a well-studied area, even though there is very little work from India; several socio-cultural, regional and economic factors complexify the gender dimension in India making it more difficult to study. However, it may be possible to begin by looking at the under representation of girls in Olympiad exams. Similarly, socio-economic factors play a significant role in succeeding in school mathematics. An attempt to select a small number of students from social welfare residential schools and provide them longitudinal support to excel in mathematics would inform us of the potentials and the challenges involved in realizing such an aspiration.

Awards & Fellowships

  • 2002 – Visiting Fellow at National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bangalore.
  • 1998-99 - Post Doctoral Fellowship – Harish Chandra Research Institute, Allahabad
  • 1997-98– CSIR Research Associate – CSIR (at the Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata)
  • 1997- Visitor to International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Trieste, Italy for a period of 3 months
  • 1990-1995- CSIR JRF&SRF- CSIR
  • 1978- National Merit Certificate in the Secondary School Leaving Examination

Memberships

  • Member, Scientific Council and Advisory Board, Pesquisa e Ensino, (A multilingual Journal of Education)
  • Member, International Committee, Mathematics Education and Society
  • Member, Mathematics Teachers Association of India
  • Member, Indian Association of Women’s Studies
  • Chair, 10th International Mathematics Education and Society Conference, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad
  • Chair, Topic Study Group on Equity in Mathematics Education, 14th International Congress of Mathematics Education
  • Member, Topic Study Group on Equity in Mathematics Education, 13th International Congress of Mathematics Education

List of Publications

JOURNALS AND BOOK CHAPTERS
  • Jayasree Subramanian (2020). ‘Online education in the times of Covid-19 and beyond’ A three-part article in the online publication Politically Mathematics www.politicallymath.in
  • Jayasree Subramanian (2019) ‘Exclusion by Design: Math Education in the NEP’ in Teacher Plus https://www.teacherplus.org/exclusion-by-design-math-education-in-the-nep/
  • 'A Janus-faced highbrow mathematics instead of a Hydra headed Bahujan mathematics: Mathematics education under the new education policy in India' under review as a book chapter for the book titled 'Mathematics Education for ‘citizenship’ and its ‘other’ in a ‘global’ world: Unfolding utopias, travelling hopes and fabricating hybrids' edited by Anna Chronaki and Ayse Alcu
  • Proceedings of the 10th International Mathematics Education and Society Conference- Jayasree Subramanian (Editor) Mathematics Education and Society 10, 2019 https://www.mescommunity.info/proceedings/MES10.pdf
  • Mathematics to Mathematics Education: A telling Trajectory- Jayasree Subramanian. Review of Women’s Studies in Economic and Political Weekly LII (17), April 29, 52-60, (2017)
  • One mathematics for All: Can it be realized in a Multicultural and Multilingual country? - Jayasree Subramanian. Intercultural Education Special Issue: Intercultural Mathematics Education (Ed) Brian Greer and Swapna Mukhopadyay. Routledge Taylor & Francis Group. 266-277(2015)
  • Unravelling the “Gender-Merit” Conundrum: Do Women Deserve to Do Science in India- Jayasree Subramanian. Feminist and Science: Critiques and Changing Perspectives in India’ (Ed) Sumi Krishna and Gita Chadha. Vol 1. Stree, Kolkatta. 22-51(2015)
  • Some ethical concerns in designing Upper Primary Mathematics curriculum: A report from the field- Jayasree Subramanian, Sunil Verma & Mohd.Umar. First Source Book on Asian Research in Mathematica Education. National Editors of the Book: Rakhi Banerjee, Farida A Khan, Amitabha Mukherjee, R. Ramanujan. Series editor: Bharath Sriraman 1583-1606, (2014)
  • Transforming the Elementary Mathematics Curriculum: Issues and Challenges- Anita Rampal and Jayasree Subramanian. Mathematics Education in India: Status and Outlook, Ed K.Subramaniam & R.Ramanujam 63-88, (2012)
  • Perceiving and Producing Merit: Gender and Doing science in India- Jayasree Subramanian. Indian Journal of Gender Studies,14(2),259-284, (2007)
  • Determinant of representations of division algebras of prime degree over local fields - S Jayasree and R.Tandon. Contemporary Mathematics 210, 109-133 (1998)
  • 'Bato Napo Binn Batlao' (2012)– A six-part film documenting our longitudinal work on teaching fractions at a primary school level in a Government Primary School for Girls in rural India
  • 'Kitne Roti Kitne Bachein' (2008)- A short film also on teaching fractions for children working as rag pickers from an urban slum.
  • Exclusion by Design: Math Education in the NEP.- Jayasree Subramanian, Teacher Plus, November 2019
  • Mathematics Education for ‘All’: As if Children with Disabilities Count, Café Dissensus 2016 https://cafedissensus.com/2016/08/14/mathematics-education-for-all-as-if-children-with-disabilities-count/
  • Teaching Negative Numbers to School Children. - Jayasree Subramanian Sandarb Issue 52 brought out by Eklavya also carried in Teacher Plus 2006
  • Series and Infinite Series. -Jayasree Subramanian. Sandarb Issue 53 brought out by Eklavya also carried in Teacher Plus 2006
  • Zero+Zero+Zero+….. -Jayasree Subramanian Article in Sandarb Issue 55 brought out by Eklavya 2006
CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS
  • Jayasree Subramanian (2021). School Mathematics as a tool for spreading religious fundamentalism: The case of Vedic Mathematics in India. Proceedings of the 11th International Conference of Mathematics Education and Society. https://www.mescommunity.info/proceedings/MES11.pdf
  • 'History of whose mathematics for teaching: Raising the caste question in mathematics education in India' Accepted for presentation in the Topic Study Group 53 on 'Equity in Mathematics Education' in the upcoming 14th International Congress on Mathematical Education' to takae place in Shanghai, China from July 11-18, 2021
  • 'School Mathematics as a tool for spreading religious fundamentalism: The case of "Vedic Mathematics" in India' submitted and under review for the 11th International Mathematics Education and Society Conference to take place in Klagenfurt, Austria from September 24-29, 2021
  • Language Diversity as a Resource for Knowledge About Mathematics Education and Society- Kate le Roux, Annica Anderson, Lisa Darragh, Jayasree Subramanian, Luz Valoyes- Chaves. Symposium presented at the 10th International Mathematics Education and Society Conference, Hyderabad. (2019)
  • Reaching across to a parallel universe below: The promise of Justice communities for researching caste in mathematics education- Jayasree Subramanian (2017). Proceedings of the 9th International Conference of Mathematics Education and Society pp 130-133. Invited response to the plenary talk by Erika Bullock at the 9th International Mathematics Education and Society Conference held at Volos, Greece.
  • Jayasree Subramanian (2017) ‘Beyond poverty and development: caste dynamics and access to mathematics education in India’. Proceedings 9th International Mathematics Education and Society Conference pp 924-935 Volos, Greece.
  • Jayasree Subramanian (2016) ‘Gender of mathematics Curriculum’ presented at ICME- 13 held at Hamburg, Germany.
  • Jayasree Subramanian (2016) ‘Ethical Dilemmas in prescribing one Mathematics for All’ presented at the seminar titled ‘Mathematics Education and Social Justice Concerns’ held at Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Hyderabad in February, 2016.
  • Jayasree Subramanian (2015) ‘Upper Primary Mathematics Curriculum, The Right To Education in India and some Ethical Issues’ Proceedings of the 8th International Mathematics Education and Society Conference. Pp939-953 Portland State University, USA.
  • Jayasree Subramanian (2014) ‘Politics of Knowledge: Whose Interest Does Primary Mathematics Serve?’ presented at the Fifth International Conference of the Comparative Education Society of India, New Delhi.
  • Jayasree Subramanian (2012) 'Gender and Mathematics Education in India: An unexplored domain' presented at ICME-12 as part of the panel on Gender and Mathematics Education.
  • Jayasree Subramanian (2012) ''Primary Mathematics: Pedagogies and Challenges' presented at ICME12 as part of the Indian National Presentation
  • Shreya Khemani & Jayasree Subramanian (2012), 'Tackling the division algorithm' a paper presented inTSG7 in ICME12
  • Jayasree Subramanian (2012) 'Upper primary mathematics: A review from below' poster presented at ICME 12
  • Introducing fractions using share and measure meaning of fractions: A report from class room trials- Jayasree Subramanian, Brijesh Verma. Episteme3 conference held at HBCSE in January 2009
  • Combining and Measure meaning of fractions to facilitate students’ reasoning- Jayasree Subramanian, K.Subramaniam, Shweta Naik, Brijesh Verma. International Congress of Mathematics Education (ICME- 11) held at Mexico in July 2008
  • Women’s Experience vs Dominant Notions: Gender Politics in Science institutions – Jayasree Subramanian. India at the Indian Association of Women Studies Conference held at Lucknow in March 2008
  • Negotiating a career in Science: Women’s experience in doing science in India- Jayasree Subramanian. International conference on Women and Science held at NISTADS in March 2004.
GIZ Desk Study
  • Teaching Numeracy in Pre-School and Early Grades in Low-Income Countries. – Bill Atweh, Arindam Bose, Mellony Graven, Jayasree Subramanian & HamsaVenkat. Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. 2014
Role in International Conferences
  • ICME 14: The 14th International Congress on Mathematics Education held from July 11- 18, 2021, Shanghai, China (Online conference)
    1. Chair, Topic Study Group TSG 53 Equity in Mathematics Education
    2. Presented a paper titled ‘History of whose mathematics for teaching? Raising the caste question in mathematics education in India’. https://www.icme14.org/static/en/news/37.html?v=1650633141101
  • PME 44: The 44th Psychology of Mathematics Education Conference held from July 19-22, 2021, in Thailand (Online Conference) - Invited to present a reaction paper titled ‘Crashing the gates cast(e) in multiple layers: Will Mathematics Education (B)race up for the challenge?’ to the Plenary Speaker Prof. David Wagner ‘s paper titled ‘Gatekeeping in Mathematics Education
  • MES 11: The 11th International Conference of Mathematics Education and Society held from September 24-29 Austria (Online Conference) - Presented a paper titled ‘School Mathematics as a tool for spreading religious fundamentalism: The case of Vedic Mathematics in India’
  • Aga Khan University Institute for Educational Development: Invited to give a plenary lecture titled ‘Mathematics Pedagogy, Language and Socio-economic background of the learner: Lessons from India’ for the international conference titled Mathematics Unites: Connecting Disciplines, Cultures and Communities on March 11-12, 2022.
  • Refresher Course - Invited to give a session on Gender and Science for the Refresher Course on Gender organized by UGC-HRDC, University of Calicut on July 9, 2022
Invited Lectures/Panel Discussions
  • Invited to give the 9th Anna Mani Lecture on gender and mathematics titled ‘There were axiomatics, we are empirical: The Indian Approach to gender question in Mathematics Education on June 24, 2021 https://astron-soc.in/wgge/9th-am-lecture
  • Was part of the Panel on ‘Women, work and the Pandemic’ organized by SRM University, AP on March 8, 2021
  • Was invited by St, Xavier’s Teacher Education College, Mumbai to give a webinar titled ‘What is Ethnomathematics and why should we be interested in knowing about it?’ on November 28, 2020
  • Was part of a panel discussion on ‘The Caste equation in Indian Academia’ organized by March for Science, Mumbai on June 24, 2020.

Contact Details

  • E-mail id:  jayasree.s@srmap.edu.in
  • Mobile No.:
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