Description of the workshop

This two-hour online workshop is designed for school teachers to explore inquiry-based and hands-on teaching strategies aligned with the curriculum for Classes 6–10 mathematics. The session will introduce simple, low-cost STEM activities developed by the outreach team at IISER Pune, demonstrating how mathematical concepts can be effectively taught through exploration, experimentation, and inquiry.

Participants will engage in interactive demonstrations, puzzles, and guided simulations to experience these approaches firsthand. A key component of the workshop will be the use of GeoGebra as a dynamic tool for visualizing and exploring mathematical ideas. Teachers will learn how to use GeoGebra applets to create interactive models, manipulate variables in real time, and encourage students to form and test conjectures, thereby strengthening conceptual understanding through visual and exploratory learning.

The workshop will focus on the conceptual understanding of area, perimeter, and volume, helping teachers move beyond rote procedures toward experiential learning. Through carefully designed activities, participants will investigate how the same perimeter can yield different areas and how the same area can correspond to different shapes. These ideas will be explored using numerical data, graphical representations, and GeoGebra-based simulations that allow dynamic manipulation and immediate visual feedback.

In addition, the session will highlight effective classroom questioning techniques and strategies to enhance student engagement. Participants will experience pedagogical approaches such as storytelling, think–pair–share, collaborative learning, and inquiry-based discussions aligned with NCF recommendations for experiential learning. The workshop will also address practical ways to integrate activity-based and technology-supported learning within regular classroom constraints.

By the end of the session, teachers will be equipped with practical tools, ready-to-use activities, GeoGebra resources, and questioning strategies to transform their classrooms from “chalk and talk” environments into active learning spaces. The workshop aims to make mathematics more engaging, meaningful, and connected to real-life contexts, thereby enhancing student participation and deep conceptual understanding.