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Digital maths, science education available 'tomorrow'

Michelle Avenant
By Michelle Avenant
Johannesburg, 01 Jul 2016
Teachers can implement digital maths and science education using just a laptop, a data projector, and free online resources, says John Bransby of Maths and Science Marketing.
Teachers can implement digital maths and science education using just a laptop, a data projector, and free online resources, says John Bransby of Maths and Science Marketing.

Digital maths and science education is available so quickly, easily and cheaply that teachers could realistically implement it from the first day of next term, said John Bransby, director of Maths and Science Marketing, at SABC Education's EduWeek in Midrand on Wednesday.

Maths and Science Marketing, spearheaded by retired maths and science teacher and matric examiner Bransby, has compiled the complete grade 10-12 maths and science syllabi onto Powerpoint slides (also available as PDFs) which are available for free via its Web site.

In addition to facilitating easy pacing, as the entire syllabus is aggregated into a single resource for teachers and learners to work through, the slideshows feature illustrative multimedia content such as diagrams and videos, said Bransby.

The Web site also offers video simulations of science experiments, which are useful for schools with little or no access to lab resources, he added.

Teachers can implement these resources in their classrooms with as little hardware as a laptop and a data projector, Bransby said, adding that Maths and Science Marketing's resources are free to download for the benefit of teachers with no Internet access in their classrooms, and the syllabus slideshows are available in printable workbook form for learners to take home.

Maths and Science Marketing's Web site hosts over 100 000 pages of CAPS-aligned maths and science-focused educational content, which in addition to the syllabus and multimedia resources includes worksheets, tests and examinations, and past matric exam papers.

The Web site also offers a host of study and career-related resources aimed at students, including career guidance for maths and science-related fields, and university points system information for a host of maths and science-related courses at local universities, Bransby continued.

"Believe me, about 80% of the kids that you teach do not have a clue about how to study properly," he went on, pointing to the Web site's selection of study tips as a useful solution.

Beyond a teacher

Bransby also spoke from his experience running teacher training workshops for implementing Maths and Science Marketing's solutions in schools, recounting that he has run around 100 workshops across SA over the past 18 months.

"In the workshops that I run, I'm finding that 85% of teachers are still using chalk and talk and nothing else," he said. "This is the 21st Century. We need to make changes."

Showing learners diagrams via Powerpoint saves teachers vast amounts of time they may otherwise have spent drawing these diagrams, or alternatively adds visual elements to lessons teachers would otherwise not have had time to illustrate, Bransby noted, suggesting that the slideshows could leave teachers with more time for teaching and explaining the content.

The Web site's career guidance and updated university points system sections can offer learners more information, and more immediately, than most teachers can, at least off the top of their heads, he suggested.

Limited resources

When questioned about the fact that obtaining a laptop and a data projector is a financial stretch for many schools and teachers, Bransby suggested that teachers attempt to fund the devices using school or community fundraising initiatives.

Bransby recounted that some of the teachers he had met in training workshops had had success in this regard by borrowing a laptop and data projector, showing their learners the impact these resources could have on their education, and in this way encouraging learners to participate in fundraising efforts, such as bake sales, for the hardware.

Laptops and classroom-quality data projectors have steeply dropped in price over the last several years, Bransby said, noting that in his work helping teachers choose the right devices for work, he found that reliable, classroom-quality data projectors are available for around R5 000.

He also put forward that many teachers chose to sidestep school security concerns by buying their own devices and taking the hardware home with them each day.

Desperate times

The improvement of maths and science results is a particularly urgent issue to SA's education landscape and job markets, Bransby said, citing the urgent need for much higher numbers of learners to pass maths and science with high enough marks to enter STEM field such as medicine and engineering.

Since Maths and Science Marketing's Web site debuted in mid-2013, it has attracted around 600 000 users from 210 countries, the Netherlands being the third-largest in terms of downloads from the site, he reported.

The organisation is on a mission to reach the millions of teachers and learners across Southern Africa who would benefit from these resources, and appeals for support.

Its resources "have been sponsored and they will continue to be sponsored," in order to remain free to access, Bransby promised.