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| Staff |
Provincial Manager:
Annah Spain |
Provincial Trainers:
None
Admin Assistant:
None |
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| Projects and Programmes |
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Maths Centre runs the full range of nine programmes in the Free State. For the past 4 years many more schools, primary and high, have joined the Maths Centre projects. Maths Centre enjoys a very active support from the Department of Education of the Free State. Indeed, last year Maths Centre was invited to run a year-long programme in several rural locations by the department as well as a couple of funders. Three-year projects have begun to improve learner performance in five different farm and rural areas. Long distances to the workshop venue have not deterred teachers from participating in the workshop programmes.
Many teachers see becoming a Maths Centre field trainer as a privileged opportunity. Normally they
work as classroom teachers, the focus being very large change in a very small domain. As a Maths
Centre person, they become trainers who engage in bringing about large change in a large number of schools.
They have begun to see first-hand the complicated nature of the damage and
the deficit caused by apartheid policies. The poverty of knowledge manifests
itself at all different levels of the education system. Such a view offers
the field trainers an opportunity to learn to develop strategy and solutions.
It is often quite difficult to see if this development will be sustainable. Given sufficient funding
and support mechanisms, policy and management systems can run hand-in-hand in a school. There is a better chance of sustainability if developments are whole school based. The position of the teachers and the field trainers does allow them to build a comprehensive CV, understand the national curriculum roll-out situation and train as leader teachers of tomorrow. In the world of mathematics education, critical mass is gradually being added to.
Many of our learners in rural and farm areas are often silent. They are afraid to ask questions and
speak only when spoken to. This is a huge hindrance to teacher/learner interaction involving
mathematical dialogue that leads to deeper and better understanding of this complex subject. Many
teachers throughout the world believe that appropriate teacher/learner interaction is the key to
sustaining learner interest and enthusiasm in mathematics.
The value of mother tongue for learning is often poorly understood or not at all. Often our teachers
do not use the mother tongue to elicit learner understanding.
An example from a Grade 1 class in the Free State:
'During a lesson on money it was discovered that the teacher believed that
most learners could recognise coins but very few of them could clearly state
the coin values. When engaged in a shopping activity, it was discovered
that they used the mother tongue to demonstrate their knowledge of all coin
values as well as the difference between rands and cents and the patterns
and equivalences involved in changing money. They could change a 20c coin
for twenty 1c coins, or for ten 2c coins, or for four 5c coins or for 2c
+ 2c + 2c + 2c + 2c + 5c + 5c etc. The teacher discovered that the learners
had developed counting methods and number knowledge and could estimate,
make sensible estimates and devise own methods to solve problems. For example,
Themba had to add R40 + R50. He knew that 4 + 5 = 9. Therefore 40 + 50 =
90.' |
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| Maths Centre learners excel in Regional Technology Olympiads |
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| A Free State learner demonstrating the power of his crane. |
Free State learners busy with the surprise workshop. |
Free State winners of the Technology Regional Olympiad. |
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| Contact us |
| Tel / Fax: |
+2756 213 1805 |
| E-mail: |
freestate@mcpt.org |
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StaffZone
