Forward-thinking education in Mathematics

Visual Technology for the Autonomous Learning of Mathematics or VITALmaths is an exciting new project that aims to enhance the accessibility of Mathematics education via the use of online and mobile media. The project, which fosters multicultural Mathematical learning, is an international collaboration between The School of Teacher Education, University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW) and Rhodes University’s FRF Chair in Mathematics Education. 

VITALmaths capitalises on the ubiquity of cell phones to facilitate non-traditional mobile learning. This is of particular relevance in the South African context where mobile technology is significantly more prevalent than its predecessor.

Mathematics educators from Switzerland and South Africa have successfully crafted a series of video clips which illustrate mathematical concepts in a way that is universally attractive and appealing. These silent video clips, which are imminently translatable and effective across multiple cultural contexts, are housed as a free permanent content resource on www.ru.ac.za/vitalmaths. They can also be downloaded for free.

The fact that these clips are compatible with both computers and cell-phones allows them to be used freely and autonomously from any location at any time. This furthers the project’s ambitions to encourage a curiosity and appreciation for the sublime elegance of Mathematics that reaches far beyond the domain of the classroom.

The genius of these films lies in their brevity, their subtlety, their effortless aesthetic appeal, and their ability to elucidate complex Mathematical ideas in an interesting and eye-catching way. Natural materials and stop-go animation contribute to the powerful charm of this aesthetic. This should render them highly desirable to learners and students the world over.

The Theorem of Pythagoras, Viviani's theorem, palindromic sums and ’hubcap geometry’ are some of the intriguing concepts that have already been explored by the VITALmaths video clip producers. The team says that we can expect more of these captivating multimedia tools to appear on the website soon.

The silent films are currently available with English or German text. VITALmaths plans to enhance their accessibility across Africa by translating them into several indigenous African languages and flagship work is already being done on translations into isiXhosa. This is proving to be a crucial and thought-provoking challenge as it is revealing new avenues of linguistic research and will ultimately carry us towards the formation of formal Mathematical registers in South African languages.

Research is another key aspect to this remarkable undertaking. Fastidious enquiry is being carried out every step of the way into the utility and efficacy of the video clips both locally and abroad. A comprehensive databank of research is being established and this will prove an invaluable resource as we continue to develop and analyse unorthodox modes of visual mathematics education.

Pic: Duncan Samson, Marc Schafer, Caryn McNamara, Helmut Linneweber-Lammerskitten