Use of Mnemonics for Teaching Mathematics at the Primary Level

A good understanding of mathematics is necessary not only for academics; rather it is also a fundamental skill which is required in a person’s personal, social, and work life. Mathematics today owes a huge debt to the outstanding contributions made by Indian mathematicians over many hundreds of years. However, nowadays Indian students underperform in mathematics. As per the Seventh Annual Survey of Education Report (ASER), 2012, of rural India, school enrolment has risen but there is a decline in attendance, over-reliance on private tuitions and decline in reading and mathematical ability of children in the age group between six and 14. In order to improve performance in mathematics and ensure that our students are equipped with the mathematical skills needed to succeed in a global marketplace, there is a need to start from the basics at primary level. The major reason for the difficulty in comprehending mathematical concepts is their abstract nature, inability to translate mathematical meaning to real -world entities and lack of multi-step problem solving skill. Thus, use of innovative techniques which make the mathematical concepts concrete and help in memorizing the basics along with inculcation of basic mathematical concepts and skills could be useful in improving the mathematical ability. The present paper considers some mnemonic techniques which could be easily incorporated in the regular classroom teaching methodology for enhancing mathematical skills and performance.