ASSOCIATION FOR MATHEMATICS EDUCATION OF SOUTH AFRICA (AMESA)

The aim of AMESA is to promote mathematics education by enhancing the quality of teaching and learning of mathematics in South Africa. The strategies adopted to achieve this aim include, among others, the provision of forums for all concerned with the teaching of mathematics at all levels of education, encouraging research related to mathematics education, and bringing the results of such research to the attention of its members.

Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) has established cooperation with AMESA through the maths4stats project. Stats SA sponsored mathematics teachers who participated in the project as well as the maths4stats provincial coordinators to present papers that focus on data handling and probability at the National AMESA Congress every year since 2007.

Sponsorship covered teachers attending AMESA congresses in White River (13 teachers) in 2007, Port Elizabeth (9 teachers) in 2008, and Bloemfontein (15 educators and 9 maths4stats coordinators) in 2009.

Maths4stats coordinators’ participation at AMESA conference: University of Northwest: Potchefstroom Campus: 24–29 June 2012

The North West University: Potchefstroom Campus hosted the 18th Annual National Congress from 24 to 28 June 2012. The maths4stats Provincial Coordinators from Free State, Eastern Cape and Western Cape conducted a teacher-training workshop on “Discovering Probability” (chance) for General Education and Training Phase. Eighty-seven teachers from all nine provinces attended. The teachers were elated and commended the coordinators for the benefits that they derived from the training. They received a Grade 7–9 Study Guide on Data Handling and Probability compiled by Statistics South Africa (Stats SA).
The newly elected AMESA president, Professor A Olivier from Stellenbosch University, and the academic coordinator Dr Susan Niewoudt of North West University: Potchefstroom Campus congratulated Stats SA and the maths4stats coordinators for their input towards and assistance with mathematics teaching and learning.

Maths4stats coordinators’ participation at AMESA conference: University of Witwatersand (Wits): 11–15 July 2011

Wits hosted the 17th Annual National Congress from 11 to 15 July 2011 where
maths4stats coordinators conducted several teacher workshops focusing on data handling and probability at the congress. Tshililo Mukhaninga (LP) kick-started a workshop on Probability for General Education and Training (GET) teachers. Yvonne van der Walt (EC) and Lucia Janse van Rensburg (FS) presented two papers; one on “Using games of chance to predict whether the outcomes of the games are fair or unfair” and another on “Using central tendency to analyse and interpret bar graphs”. The workshops targeted groups of 30 teachers. However, at each of the workshops, more than 30 teachers attended. Teachers were excited about exposure to practical ways of teaching probability and requested for more training in their respective provinces.

Desiree Timmet (WC), Edward Moseki (NW), and Thabisa Tikolo (GP) teamed up and presented the Census@School 2009 project to teachers and also conducted the Census 2011 workshop. The team also conducted SuperCROSS training. Teachers were thrilled at importing data from their respective provinces, doing cross-tabulation and thereafter representing the information graphically. The team further requested teachers to publicise the Census 2011 results for their families and friends.

INTERNATIONAL STATISTICAL INSTITUTE (ISI) CONFERENCE: August 2009

Statistics South Africa (Stats SA), together with the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the KwaZulu-Natal Government, were the three major sponsors of the 57th Session of the International Statistical Institute (ISI) Conference. This was the first time in the ISI’s 124-year history that such a conference had taken place in sub-Saharan Africa in Durban, South Africa, from 16 to 22 August, 2009.

The conference takes place biennially and provides a forum for exchanging ideas, developing new professional links, and discussing current trends and developments in the field of statistics. The forum further provides an opportunity for the training of statisticians, especially from developing countries, on the latest developments in statistical methods and their applications.

The President of the Republic of South Africa, H.E. Jacob Zuma, opened the auspicious occasion and challenged statisticians to help find solutions that would benefit all nations, to the crisis of the world economic meltdown.

The Minister in the Presidency responsible for the National Planning Commission, Mr Trevor Manuel, called on statisticians to have a dose of humility and accept that “we measure (or sometimes deploy others to measure on our behalf) because we don’t know the answer or we don’t know nearly enough”. Statistics South Africa reports to the Minister in the Presidency responsible for the National Planning Commission, Mr Trevor Manuel.

Maths4stats coordinators’ participation at the ISI conference

The maths4stats coordinators attended the conference to take part in the Census@School closed meeting with the international audience at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. The purpose of the meeting was to share their experiences about the Census@School (C@S) project surveys and how the results are utilised. Whilst DDG Kefiloe Masiteng presented the 2009 national C@S preliminary results at the ISI conference on 19 August 2009, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Western Cape and North West maths4stats coordinators presented their respective C@S provincial results.

The results presented indicated similar trends in most of the variables. For example, the finding that there are more girls than boys in higher grades (10–12) than there are in lower grades (3–7), addresses one of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) of educating girl-children. However, it raised debates on why boys leave school early. Speculation includes assuming that some boys, especially in the rural areas, leave school to seek employment in the agricultural sector after passing Grade 9 and therefore are lost from the education system. It should be noted that within the South African schooling system, learners may proceed from General Education and Training (GET) which ends with Grade 9, to either Further Education and Training schools (FET) to do Grades 10 to 12 or Further Education and Training Colleges (FETC) to do vocational training.

For details of the results, you may visit the C@S website.

The maths4stats provincial coordinators also conducted parallel afternoon workshops on data handling and probability for both GET and FET teachers. A total of 150 teachers registered and attended the workshops during that period.

THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF STATISTICAL EDUCATION (IASE) SATELLITE CONFERENCE: 14–15 AUGUST 2009

The International Association for Statistical Education functions as the international umbrella organisation for statistics education. It seeks to improve statistics education at all levels – from primary school right through to the training of professionals, and to increase the uptake of statistics education worldwide. IASE fosters international cooperation, and stimulates discussion and research. It disseminates ideas, strategies, research findings, materials and information using publications, international conferences, and increasingly, this website.

Maths4stats coordinators’ participation at the International Association of Statistical Education (IASE) satellite conference from 14 to 15 August 2009

The maths4stats team also took part in the International Association of Statistical Education (IASE) satellite conference from 14 to 15 August, 2009 organised by Professor Helen McGillivray. International statisticians attended the conference that focused on tertiary level statistics education. The theme for the conference was “The Next Steps in Statistical Education”. The team also assisted with the facilitation of the IASE workshop for local mathematics teachers where focus was placed on sharing statistical knowledge. One hundred and eighty-two teachers from schools around Durban attended the full-day workshop.

The maths4stats project was awarded a winning medal for the Best International Statistical Literacy Project.

SOUTH AFRICAN STATISTICAL ASSOCIATION (SASA)

The mission of the association is to facilitate advancement of statistical knowledge and promote application of statistical theory in all spheres of life and hence contribute positively to the development of South Africa.

Maths4stats coordinators’ participation at the SASA conference: North West University (Potchefstroom Campus): 8–11 November 2011

The maths4stats coordinators jointly conducted teacher training on data handling and probability. The turnout of teachers was encouraging. Training took place after school, from 15:00 to 18:00 for four days. However, the afternoon scheduling of the workshop did not deter teachers from attending. Ninety-two General Education and Training (GET: Grades 4–9) while seventeen Further Education and Training (FET: Grades 10–12) mathematics teachers attended training for four days. Fewer FET schools teachers attended training since November is a critical period for examination.
Doctor M Nthangeni, Executive Manager: Human Capacity Development at Statistics South Africa, welcomed teachers and encouraged them to liaise with NW maths4stats coordinator Edward Moseki for any support they might require on data handling and probability.