The FirstRand Foundation (FRF) Mathematics Education Chair is a powerful research and development intervention which is aiming to make a profound impact on Mathematics education in this country.
Five Chairs have been awarded in South Africa and the driving ethos behind this R60 million rand initiative is to foster a culture of love and appreciation for mathematics. The mysterious beauty which permeates the language and form of mathematics has long been forgotten and neglected, and the FRF Mathematics Education Chair seeks to reinvigorate an awareness of this profound elegance. A potent synergy between research and development has been struck and the project has already gained considerable momentum.
The project has successfully united mathematicians and educators from Rhodes University as well as impassioned scholars and teachers from local schools. One of the Chair’s foremost aims is to improve the Eastern Cape’s worrying track record for matric maths marks. Particular focus is being cast on previously disadvantaged schools that have been victims of circumstance, and are in need of interventions in science and maths education such as this.
Visual Technology for the Autonomous Leaning of Mathematics, VITALmaths, is one of the Chair’s current projects. This innovative initiative challenges conventional methods of teaching mathematics and provides widespread accessibility to visual mathematics education tools.
The VITALmaths team has created a series of brief, aesthetically attractive videos which illustrate mathematical concepts in a way which intrigues and entertains, thereby bringing the fun and beauty back into maths learning. The fact that these videos are freely downloadable from the VITALmaths website (www.ru.ac.za/vitalmaths) and accessible via mobile phones means that maths education is effectively taken beyond the classroom and encouraged in any context.
Another branch of the Chair’s activities is the Mathematics Teacher Enrichment Programme (MTEP), which facilitates fortnightly meetings with Grahamstown School District mathematics educators, as well as representatives from the Department of Education. This has provided support to teachers and seeks to reignite enthusiasm for maths in learners.
Another focus of the Chair’s activities is the South African Directory of Mathematics Education Research (SADMER). This is an ongoing initiative which gathers and collates information on all published research pertaining to mathematics education by South African authors. This comprehensive directory will prove itself to be an invaluable resource for both educators and academics who are involved in mathematics education, research and development.
Pic: Prof Marc Schäfer, FRF Mathematics Education Chair at Rhodes University.
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