More transparency in maths classes key to performance

2014-10-26 | MGLI | Johannesburg

South African and international news agencies have always had a field day whenever maths and science rankings are published. Whether the rankings are objective or not, there is a dire need to address maths and science challenges in the country.  It is the opinion of many that the lack of accountability in maths education has immensely contributed to the dismal performance in maths and science. Some quarters of society have cited the teacher unions as being culprits through their over-protection of teachers thus buffering mediocre teachers from being flushed out of the system.

Maths classroom activities should be designed to contribute to the growth and sustainability of a knowledge economy that is self-sufficient. For this to be achieved, the maths class requires an overhaul to allow optimal knowledge transfer and meaningful feedback among all stakeholders who range from teachers, learners, government, donors and other education supporters.

Maths classes should, like any other company or organisation have measurable impact. Currently there are no formalised and tangible metrics to measure return on investment for those who are pouring in resources and support to maths education. Teachers and their respective schools have to be held more accountable for the management of maths schooling resources.

Quality control of lessons has to be drastically improved to ensure that we do not short change our learners through sub-standard maths lessons. Teachers who do not meet the grade should be eliminated from the system and marking examinations should only be done by qualified and able teachers as this has seen poor marking standards in the past.

It is important that the following high-level metrics be used to measure maths class efficiency:

1. Subject Knowledge: Every maths teacher ought to know the subject intimately so as to be able to add value to learners’ knowledge base. Learners’ fluency of mathematical skills has to be measured.
2. Communication and Motivational Skills: Each teacher ought to be able to communicate clearly to learners to ensure knowledge transfer using the most effective mode of communication in the context. Communication is not limited to verbal but includes non-verbal. Learners ought to communicate back to the teacher and amongst themselves clearly as dictated by curriculum requirements and beyond.
3. Utility Value and Application: Each maths lesson has to bring out the utility value of the topic in real life so as to bring meaning and better appreciation of concepts. This guarantees maximum engagement from the learners.

Every maths lesson ought to have impact on learners, teachers and the community by contributing to the attractiveness and image of mathematics so as to improve:

• Public awareness of the benefits of mathematics.
• Perception towards mathematics.
• Performance in mathematics.

Let us all work together to empower our people by fully capacitating them to be self-reliant individuals who are solution oriented. Mathematics is one of the major drivers of critical and creative thinkers that can face any problem. Mathematical thinking excellence is a pre-requisite to be a knowledge society. This is the only way we can move forward in our quest for true liberty.

Mathematics – Humanity’s gateway to enlightenment

Edzai C. Zvobwo | MGLI | 2014-10-16

Mathematics has always been a subject that has fallen victim to strange myths and beliefs that have led the majority of humanity to fear this beautifully crafted subject. Those who have attained mathematical happiness have crowned it, “The Queen of the Sciences” others have gone even further to call it “God’s coded message to humanity”. This wonderful subject has been totally misunderstood by the majority of earth’s inhabitants yet on a daily basis everyone enjoys its benefits.

It is your duty as an individual to pursue mathematical happiness with all your might. Take note, this happiness I speak of is not the discovery of a new formula or earth-shuttering theorems but the appreciation of the pivotal role of mathematics in humanity’s quest to fully understand the universe. This appreciation will lead to joy, confidence, hope and vigilance when faced with problems regardless of their nature. Mathematics is the only subject that prepares you for a full life as it prepares you for situations that you have never experienced before. Just a simple extrapolation of learnt problem solving principles can lead to sustainable happiness in this life we are living (some of us).

I challenge you today to take a stand and drink from the can of happiness that is full of natural flavours to quench your mathematical thirst. Mathematics is a subject that is refreshingly different. It is the subject that gives more than it takes from you, this is true empowerment. Go for it and start your worthwhile journey to mathematical happiness. Open up some happiness. Enjoy!

Of mathematical happiness

Mathematical happiness is what should keep you going when the going gets tough. I will try and tell you why we need mathematical happiness. I f you disagree please send feedback and I will rectify if necessary. Take note that I am now using happiness and mathematical happiness interchangeably.
Happiness is delicious and refreshing
Who doesn’t want to experience happiness? I bet you enjoy be happy like everyone else. So immerse yourself in you maths work and set yourself up for as many happy moments as possible. Taste the delicious and refreshing results of happiness by persevering and succeeding in mathematics.
Happiness revives and sustains
When you are happy then you will be motivated to work harder and smarter. This will give you confidence and will bring you to life. There is no better sustainable vitality boost. Whoever you are, whatever you do, wherever you may be, when you think of refreshment from the thirst of worry, pain and other negative forces, think of ice-cold happiness, it has no season. Whenever you want a refreshing new feeling, then be real and twist the cap to refreshment. Happiness is the single driver and result of success.
Happiness is good till the last drop
Once you start working on math problems and achieving success it becomes a habit and there will be no stopping you. Associated with the success is happiness which you can never have enough of. I have never heard of anyone who did not have good happiness. Happiness is always good till the last drop; you will never see the last drop because happiness breeds more happiness. Make it a point to be the best you can be.
Happiness is pure as sunlight
The Sun illuminates Earth with its rays, happiness is a pure as sunlight. With sunlight you can illuminate other people’s lives. Someone will believe if they see you believing. Become an agent of change by being the best you can be in math and your neighbour will follow suit. Be the light of the world and proclaim that by saying, “I’d like to buy the world happiness”. This proclamation is a powerful one which will propel others to success.
Sayings on happiness
• Life begins here with happiness.
• Happiness is a sign of good taste.
• Happiness makes good things taste better.
• The only thing like happiness is happiness.
• Happiness is joy.
• Happiness is success.
• Happiness has the taste thirst goes for.
• Happiness is ice-cold sunshine.
• Happiness is the best friend thirst ever had.

Crowd-sourced knowledge, the key to maths success in South Africa

 

Individual social responsibility is the country’s ultimate answer to the crisis in maths education

Mar 17th 2014 | Johannesburg | MGLI

SOUTH AFRICA’s dismal performance at mathematics has perennially hogged news headlines. The average parent complains about the education system and how teachers are doing the bare minimum. The question is, what has the ordinary South African resident done about the crisis? At least one hour of maths community service is the answer.

Not enough is being done to harness the mathematical knowledge that has been acquired by South African residents (citizens and non-citizens). There is a vast pool of individuals who have the capacity to complement government’s efforts in trying to redress past ills and providing the country with the much needed mathematically savvy graduates.

It is very easy to criticise from the sidelines without fully understanding the complexities associated with mathematics education in South Africa or playing an active part in the solution. So how can the country overcome the maths challenges and be competitive with the rest of the world? The key ingredient for success is a crowd-sourced mathematics knowledge and activity model driven by Individual Social Responsibility (ISR).

Crowd-sourced mathematical activity is an example of a “social machine”, a new paradigm, identified by Berners-Lee, for viewing a combination of people and computers as a single problem-solving entity, and the subject of major international research endeavours. We outline a future research agenda for mathematics social machines, a combination of people, computers, and mathematical archives to create and apply mathematics, with the potential to change the way people do mathematics, and to transform the reach, pace, and impact of mathematics research. (Ursula Martin, Alison Pease, 2013)

ISR is a collection of voluntary (not work obligations) actions done by an individual to benefit an expanded sphere of influence beyond close relatives (family and friends). ISR is in fact the skeletal system of Corporate Social Responsibility.

South Africa leads all African countries with regards to investment in education from government, corporations and NGOs. Approximately 6% of GDP is directed towards education (World Bank, 2012). From a corporate social responsibility perspective, the country is doing exceptionally well but lacks the total commitment of individuals as entities of change. All individuals from all strata of society ought to take it upon themselves to be active participants in the South African maths project. Currently the prevalent behaviour of ordinary individuals is that of being a spectator with the expectation that the institutions will make the change on their behalf without them doing something about it. It does not take a mathematically literate person to contribute but just willpower and a definiteness of purpose from every individual.

In the South African context the crowd-sourced mathematical activity by individuals should not be limited to formal and informal research but should also include dissemination of positive mathematical information that demystifies the subject, voluntary tutoring of learners in communities, funds, services and material donations towards maths education. If the country adopts the “Feel it, it is here!” vibe as shown during the soccer World Cup in 2010 where everyone had a unity of purpose and was of one accord. Together mathematics can be tackled but the answer not only lies in government policy but the goodwill of ordinary citizens. There is no higher ideal than service to one’s country with an end-result of the development of fellow human beings.

For South Africa to successfully implement the National Development Plan, the onus lies on every individual to play his/her part. Mathematics education has a special role to play in the emancipation of South African people. This is the single subject that will increase the country’s global competitiveness thus leading to economic prosperity and will also afford a chance to many South African youths to meaningfully play a part in the economy. Without mathematics, government efforts like the Decade of the Artisan, launched by the Department of Higher Education (DHET) in January 2014 which seeks to churn out 30 000 artisans a year will not gain the anticipated momentum unless all South African residents take a stand to contribute to the mathematical success story.

In as much as the argument that government, foundations, NGOs and trusts’ efforts and interests in education represent the South African public’s investment holds true,  there has not been adequate intervention at individual level to solve the maths crisis.

Imagine the impact if all the accountants, investment bankers, actuaries, engineers, scientists, university students and any interested individuals in South Africa took at least an hour every month to teach a child from their community (not necessarily family). There will be seismic shift in the way maths is viewed if everyone deliberately and positively markets the subject to the youths, this is the only Mzansi can achieve a paradigm shift.

Government can play an active role in encouraging and supporting individuals who volunteer to be part of the “social machine” for mathematical improvement. Below are suggestions:

• ISR points to individuals which will affect taxation, job prospects (one cannot hold office unless one has served certain hours – almost like individual BEE)
• Public acknowledgement of the best implementers.
• ISR points should contribute to a company’s overall BEE points.

In as much as the above suggestions seem farfetched it is paramount that discussions begin on how to fully encourage pro-social behaviour among individuals to combat the maths crisis in South Africa. This in the spirit of Ubuntu as publicised by Nelson Mandela will definitely lead to a successful maths strategy implementation for South Africa.

 

Edzai Conilias Zvobwo is the CEO of MathsGenius Leadership Institute (MGLI) a quantitative leadership school based in Midrand, South Africa. He is an acclaimed mathematics author and an activist for women empowerment in STEM.

 

South African based institution turns to Indiegogo for girl empowerment funds

13 March 2014

 

Johannesburg, South Africa –MATHSGENIUS LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE (MGLI) based in Midrand has turned to the popular crowd funding website Indiegogo in its bid to raise funds for its girl empowerment project entitled GirlChild Rise Up in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) poster competition.

 

MGLI CEO, Edzai C. Zvobwo explained that the lack of positive response from all the South African organisations approached led to the institution taking the crowd funding route. At the time of going to press MGLI had received one donation of US$25 which is a drop in the ocean for its target of US$9 000.

 

The competition entails Grade 8 – 10 boys and girls designing a cover for the book GirlChild Rise Up in STEM, a motivational book encouraging girls and women to take up STEM subjects and careers as there is a dire need to open up dialogue and have Grade 8 to Grade 10 South African learners acknowledge the gender parity in STEM and how it can be resolved by a shift in the mindset and afford girls better subject choice decisions at Grade 9 based on ability and desired career. There is an acute under-representation of girls and women in STEM subjects and careers as a result of ill-informed subject decisions at Grade 9 level. The campaign aims to:

 

• Contribute to girl empowerment in education in South Africa and beyond.
• Educate Grade 9 girl learners to choose subjects based on ability and desired career choices.
• Unleash learner creativity and provide a launch-pad for design careers.
• Give a chance to learners to contribute to equal rights in education.
• Give learners an incentive to participate in the rights discussion and be ambassadors of change.
• Increase public awareness of the plight of girls and women with respect to taking up STEM related subjects and careers.

The competition entails Grade 8 -10 boys and girls designing a cover for the book under the themes, Feminine Power, Freedom and Ability. The organisers gave a high-level plan of action as listed below:

 

1. A communiqué by MGLI will be sent to all schools (learners from both public and private schools will take part in the initiative) requesting learners to design a cover/poster that celebrates girl freedom and excellence in STEM. Both genders have been included so that a holistic gender education programme is undertaken.
2. Learners design covers for GirlChild Rise Up in STEM which is accompanied by an abstract and a short learner’s biography which will be posted on the MathsGenius Leadership Institute (MGLI) website and via the press
3. The designs are collected per province via the provincial education offices and 3 provincial winners are determined by a panel of expert judges based in the respective provinces.
4. The 27 provincial winners will be invited for a cover/poster exhibition on October 11 (International girl child day) where they will be able to auction/sell their designs to the attendees thus rewarding the learners’ creativity.
5. Two national winners will be determined. First prize gets to have his/her design as the front cover of the book and second prize as the back cover.

 

The rules for eligibility are:

• To be eligible for the cover/poster competition a learner should be in Grade 8, Grade 9 or Grade 10, regardless of gender.
• The provincial winners will get a chance to attend the exhibition where they will walk away with hampers and their designs featured on the MGLI website.
• The national winners will get prize money, hampers, their biographies and designs will be featured in the book, GirlChild Rise Up in STEM.
• The provincial winners will be featured in the 27 poster exhibition book which will be distributed across the country and to other African countries.
• Each poster will be judged solely on excellence of presentation based on the criteria described below. National judging will occur prior to the exhibition night and the points will be carried through and added to the scores from the judging that takes place during the awards ceremony.

 

Individuals and organisations who want to contribute to this noble cause in any capacity can contact MGLI on info@mathsgenius.co.za or +2711 073 1776.

 

The online campaign can be found on http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/girlchild-rise-up-in-stem-poster-competition/x/4484212

 

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Edzai is a high achieving mathematics author, researcher, teacher, motivational speaker, business analyst/IT project manager and game mathematician with experience in:

• Software development operations in a mobile banking and payments environment (eWallets, switches, EMV, online and real-time payment processing, settlement and reconciliation).
• Calculating, verifying mathematical and statistical models and software for the gaming industry internationally.
• Teaching mathematics, mathematical literacy and statistics at tertiary and high school level.
• Giving maths motivational talks and training programs for youth to reach their potential.
• Training educators and parents to recognise and unleash the genius in their learners and children.
• Presenting and teaching mathematics on television.

 

He possesses a BSc Honours in Applied Mathematics, Diploma in Business Analysis and Certificate in Data Analysis. Has a good understanding of the Software Development Life Cycle and the value of keeping projects on time and within budget and meeting client requirements. Has a great appreciation of methodologies of succeeding in the studying and applying mathematics in real world situations i.e. Simulation, forecasting, quantitative decision-making, optimisation, mathematical modelling, project management, random number generators etc.

 He has a passion for mathematics; this is evidenced by his motivational works across schools in South Africa. He has participated in intervention programmes in the townships through workshops and camps assisting struggling learners.  He called himself The Mathematical Evangelist on a Mindset TV programme. Edzai has done a lot of work with SABC and their outreach programmes. A lot of MBA students from leading institutions of higher learning have benefited from his tutoring of research methods and statistics. His dream is to demystify mathematics and ensure that learners become good problem solvers.

Edzai is a firm believer of the theory that Africa can be liberated if her people are mathematically literate and apply the problem solving thinking methodology to find solutions to social, political and economic problems that have long hounded the “Mother-Continent”. Good problem solvers will eradicate poverty in Africa. To become a good problem solver, one needs to be mathematically trained to achieve this.

Cell: +2778 585 8937

Website: http://www.mathsgenius.co.za/

Email: info@mathsgenius.co.za

Blog: https://edzaizvobwo.wordpress.com/

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/channel/UClgKi9kRW76uUuno9yroTPA

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mathsgenius/178902912170274

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/MathsGenius/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/edzaizvobwo