New SA browser-based app for mathematics education
The South African Mathematics Foundation (SAMF) is delighted to announce its collaboration with MyTutor.chat (https://mytutor.chat), a new and exciting browser-based app for mathematics education.
Greg Becker, a retired actuary and the app's founder comments on the thinking behind the initiative: "When I retired after an international career in the global financial centres in 2018, I wanted to give back to South Africa. After researching our challenges, I concluded that I may be able to make an impact in mathematics education, something our beautiful country sorely needs. I started by qualifying as a mathematics teacher and, during my studies, I read all about international trends in education, best practice and what has worked elsewhere. I have used some of my savings to build an app to help South Africans improve their mathematics skills by giving everyone an opportunity to access a world leading training resource for free: MyTutor.chat is just that - a free online learning platform!"
"Very few South Africans obtain marks for matric mathematics that prepare them for the rigours of university education in a STEM field (science, technology, engineering and mathematics)", continues Becker. "The international benchmarking assessment, conducted by TIMSS in 2019, showed that, while less than 1% of South African students scored more than 625 on the TIMSS competency scale, 51% of those in Singapore obtained this mark. At the other end of the scale, 98% of learners in Singapore got at least 400 - while only 41% of learners assessed in South Africa did. We were in joint last place with Morocco, behind countries like Chile, Egypt, Malaysia, Oman, Romania, and Turkey."
"I believe that mathematics competitions offer great potential that is currently not being fulfilled; these competitions have huge potential to show learners that mathematics and learning can be fun, and to bridge the divide from the classroom to the real world, all while building durable skills and competencies, valuable in life." he explains.
"For many, mathematics is abstract, and there is no connection between what they study at school and the real world. Yet, mathematics is the subject that stimulates many aspects of executive function – critical for daily living. Mathematics is not just about arithmetic or knowing how much change you will get if you buy three loaves of bread when paying with a R50-note. It allows you to work out how many loaves you can buy, whether you can afford butter, and to help ensure that you get the correct change. Mathematics helps you throughout your life! Through the use of mathematical concepts in daily living your life can be greatly improved – and that’s before considering the potential for a mathematics education to open up new and exciting careers and make a dent in our unemployment problem."
According to Becker, one learner needs to do about 1,000 hours of mathematics before leaving school, either in the classroom with the teacher, as homework or by working through mathematics problems on a platform like MyTutor.chat. The platform initially asks learners some profiling questions, and then gives users questions targeted at their level. Learners can work at their own pace, developing their problem solving skills critical for life with every interaction. With comprehensive explanations learners are given a chance to gain an understanding of how to solve real problems and overcome challenges they may face in the real world.
He says that learners can prepare for the 2022 academic year by working through problems on MyTutor.chat and, in doing so, earn points and awards while seeing how they compare with their peers on the leaderboard.
The SAMF wholeheartedly supports MyTutor.chat, which is why they will use the platform for learners to write the first round of the Old Mutual South African Mathematics Olympiad (SAMO) and the NESTLE NESPRAY South African Mathematics Challenge (SAMC) in March this year. In September, together, they will help South Africa become the 78th country to participate in the Kangarou Sans Frontiere mathematics competition by hosting the first South African edition of the global event.
For more information, sign up to https://www.mytutor.chat/.
You can even get to try out the Kangarou Sans Frontiere questions from 2021!