/ 26 April 2005

Finding mathematical motivation

Edwin Naidu discovers that for kids numbers fail to add up

“I hate maths,” is the constant refrain from Brenwin, our eight-year-old who started grade three last month.

His face lights up when one mentions reading or cars, particularly Mercedes McLaren and dethroned world champion Mika Hakkinen.

However, when the subject turns to addition, subtraction and counting tables, his enthusiasm dramatically dips.

Why? I struggle to find the answer, having been a poor performer in mathematics. In high school there used to be a competition between a friend and me over who got the lowest. Most of the times he’d beat me, only just.

We enrolled Brenwin for extra-lessons over the weekends last year but still he battled to motivate himself into attending.

Brenwin’s experiences are a mere microcosm of the problems that are far worse throughout the country, according to the statistics from surveys conducted over the past three years.

In Gauteng in 1999 39 943 wrote maths in matric, with 6 677 on the higher grade and 33 366 on the standard grade. Of the candidates on the higher grade, 75% passed, while 39% who took it on the standard grade were successful.

Only 25 677 wrote the physical science paper in 1999, with 16 367 on the standard grade and 9 310 on the higher grade. Less than half, 49% of pupils, passed on the higher grade, while 57% were successful in the standard grade.

Gauteng MEC Ignatius Jacobs says statistics indicate that fewer pupils were taking maths and science in the former Department of Education and Training and ex-House of Representatives schools. “This clearly indicates that there is a crisis in the Black township schools, and particularly in the former African and coloured schools,” he says.

To address the crisis, Jacobs established an Academy of Learning for pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds and made available bursaries for further teacher training in maths and science.

Mindful of the crisis at a national level, Minister of Education, Kader Asmal, appointed University of Cape Town’s Professor Michael Kahn as a special advisor to come up with a strategy to deal with the crisis.

A consultative conference on science, mathematics and technology education was held in Johannesburg in September during which the severity of the problems was debated by a variety of experts.

The draft document says, in order to improve performance, a strategy should be drawn around four pillars:curriculum, human resources development, learning support materials and science, mathematics and technology literacy.

The expected benefits of focusing on these core areas would promote participation in and quality of science, mathematics and technology education.

“Our vision is to promote a scientifically literate, technologically fluent and numerically literate society that empowers individuals to participate in the emerging knowledge-based economy and supports sustainable development,” says the document.

The broad mission of Kahn’s working group strategy is to strengthen the teaching and learning of science, mathematics and technology in the Senior Phase and Further Education and Training band within five years, using appropriate curricula, learning support materials and competent human resources in collaboration with all role players.

The strategy rests on the four key pillars: the curriculum, human resource development, learning support materials and the more outward-looking area of SMT literacy.

Central to schooling and college experience is the curriculum. The over-all goal is to develop and competently implement the learning areas of natural sciences, technology and mathematical literacy, mathematics and mathematical sciences of Curriculum 2005, while ensuring more effective delivery of the interim curriculum subjects of mathematics, physical science, biology and computer studies. Included among the proposals is a plan to give teeth to parliament recommendation for a general enhancement of teachers, school management teams and department officials to deliver the total curriculum, including improved information technology connectivity. The draft document suggests that schools be identified before they are wired to the Internet.

The draft document, correctly, points out that it will take a lot of effort — and money — to make the superhighway a reality for millions of South Africa. The challenge we all face is educating our children and siblings in the importance of getting to grips with maths and science before it gobbles them and their futures.

— The Teacher/Mail & Guardian, February, 2001.