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Science
Mathematics educators upskilled in stats
Associate Professor Renette Blignaut (far right), Deputy Chairperson of UWC’s Department of Statistics and Population Studies, with teachers from different Western Cape schools attending the Maths4Stats workshop on Saturday, 17 May 2014.
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n May, UWC and more than 60 mathematics teachers from around the Western Cape marked the completion of the University’s third Maths4Stats training programme with a certificate presentation ceremony. Over the previous two months the teachers attended weekly training sessions covering various themes in statistics and the teaching of statistics. The broad Maths4Stats programme — initiated by Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) in 2002 — is a joint project meant to improve the teaching of statistics content. UWC’s Department of Statistics and Population Studies (SPS) was approached by Stats SA to run such an outreach initiative for local teachers, and hosted its first Maths4Stats programme in 2012. The programme is now presented in partnership with the Western Cape Education Department (WCED). Associate Professor Renette Blignaut, SPS Deputy Chairperson, explained that the training covered content related to statistics as incorporated in the mathematics curricula of grades 10 to 12 from 2012. These included standard statistical topics such as probability, grouped data, and regression and correlation. Teachers were also taught how to use
SAS Curriculum Pathways, through which award-winning online educational resources are made available to teachers and schools at no charge. In addition, teachers enjoyed a demonstration of SuperCross, a specialised computer application provided by Stats SA that allows teachers to access valuable information from census databases. Then representatives from sponsors Casio and Sharp highlighted some of the advanced functions of their latest calculators. Sharp provided the funding to pay students who had served as tutors on the training sessions. Blignaut stressed the collaborative nature of the programme, and thanked sponsors for their contributions. “Without this combined effort the training would not have been possible,” she said. Majiet Parker, principal and maths teacher at Joe Slovo Engineering School in Khayelitsha, said the training had enriched his knowledge and understanding of mathematics. “The things we learned here were not in my degree when I was still studying, and I will carry it to my pupils. And I will show them one can never stop learning.” Charles Smith, Senior Curriculum Planner for Mathematics at the WCED, explained that the Department realised it could not
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reach all teachers with training or crafting the curriculum for training. But they would provide support to make such courses possible, he promised. “We seriously hope the training has empowered these teachers to deliver in the classroom, and we would like to also extend our appreciation to the University of the Western Cape for taking time out to teach our educators,” he said. Khunjulwa Mtaki, a maths teacher at Siphamandla High School, told how she had not been comfortable with doing some equations in class. “I would spend hours staring at the textbook and wasted a lot of time discussing traditional equations with the pupils,” she confided. But after the training, said Mtaki, she would be able to pass on her newfound mathematical knowledge with confidence in the classroom. In keeping with the Maths4Stats ethos, Blignaut presented a few statistics about the participating teachers. Of the 56 who had completed the programme’s survey forms, 46 percent were women, ranging in age from 24 to 59 years (with a mean age of 40), 13 percent had no formal maths or stats training, and 62 percent held an honours degree or higher.
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