Six months later

Mon, 8 August 2011

“With the help of Maths Centre we were able to cover all the work and the camp helped a lot because we learnt valuable life lessons such as the importance of a healthy diet, exercise and study techniques.” - Lehlomela, matriculant 2010

IMPACT REPORT: Maths Centre Incorporating Science - Johannesburg schools Maths and Science improvement project

This programme aimed to improve the teaching and learning of Maths and Science at ten under-resourced schools in the Johannesburg area, with the ultimate goal of enhancing the job prospects and life opportunities of the learners. Using teacher workshops and in-class support, as well as after-school clinics and innovative resources for learners, the Maths Centre provided a holistic intervention in Maths, Science and Technology education. The project ran from August 2008 to December 2010.

Changing approaches and attitudes

Since 2008, Maths Centre staff have observed significant improvements in the teaching process when on classroom support visits. Lessons are tightly structured and consist of a clear introduction, teaching stage and consolidation. This structured environment resulted in positive improvements in areas such as clarity of explanations and instructions, purposeful questioning and use of a variety of teaching methods.

The Maths Centre perceives this improvement in the teaching programme as one of the major impacts of the programme.

The value of education

Learners were exposed to different learning strategies and tools to overcome the content gaps that exist, they were taught the language of Mathematics and Science and also the importance of a healthy diet and exercise. These additional learning opportunities combined with access to additional resources have contributed to increasing Maths and Science marks at the project schools. Consequently, there are more learners who perceive Maths and Science as interesting subjects and are able to pursue studies and careers in those fields. Examples of this success include 2010 matriculants who are currently studying biomedicine, accounting and civil engineering.

Maintaining success

Both teachers and learners report on having shared their new knowledge and continuing to share this knowledge with their peers. There are teachers who continue to meet on a monthly basis to engage in knowledge-sharing.

This knowledge-sharing has continued beyond academic learning with learners reporting on motivating one another, sharing study skills and communicating tertiary and job opportunities to peers.

With the support that they have received, teachers are now better-equipped in the classroom. However, as new learners enter the school knowledge gaps continue to be evident and these efforts need to be addressed at an earlier, as learners cannot overcome many years of obstacles to learning in their final years of school.

Due to the success of the Maths Centre’s interventions, the schools would welcome ongoing support of the same nature and have expressed disappointment that the programme is complete. Although the programme has come to an end, the Maths Centre continues to assist with mentorship and guidance, particularly with regards to school policy to ensure that the curriculum is correctly managed and delivered.

Final year of maths and science support proves essential

Wed, 23 February 2011

“The learning and teaching programmes were excellent and the tutors explained just what we wanted them to explain; and if you do not understand, they don’t become impatient with you, but try to make it simpler. The camp was great, I enjoyed it” Grade 12 winter camp participant

REPORT 5: Maths Centre Incorporating Science - Johannesburg schools Maths and Science improvement project

This project aims to improve the teaching and learning of Maths and Science at 10 under-resourced schools in the Johannesburg area, with the ultimate goal of enhancing the job prospects and life opportunities of the learners. Using teacher workshops and in-class support, as well as after-school clinics and innovative resources for learners, Maths Centre provides a holistic intervention in maths, science and technology education.

The project timeline is August 2008 to July 2010. This report covers the period from July to December 2010.

Activities and Impact

The second half of 2010 for most South African learners was marked by long periods out of school due to the World Cup and the teachers strike. In this period, the extra tuition and support provided by Maths Centre to project schools was more vital than ever before.

The internal assessments undertaken by Maths Centre throughout 2010, show an improvement in learners’ overall understanding and knowledge. On average, marks improved by more than 20% in maths and science. Science results remain significantly lower than in maths results: while most schools averaged above 50% in maths, none obtained that result in science.

This was achieved through the following activities:

• 85 learners participated in a five-day winter camp. During this camp, time was set aside for tuition as well as team building activities. Ten learners were selected from each school to participate in the camp. Each learner received a revision pack for maths and science; a scientific calculator with and stationery.
• Intensive Saturday classes were held at the Maths Centre at least three times a month; afternoon clinics complemented this extra tuition, particularly for those learners who could not attend on Saturdays.
• Three teacher workshops were held at the Maths Centre. Fifteen maths teachers from five schools participated in the event.
• All schools were visited during this period; three schools received standard classroom support visits and four schools requested Maths Centre to hold special sessions to allow them to cover the whole curriculum.
• School Management Teams, Schools Governing Bodies, School Based Assessment Teams, etc. came together to adopt revised school policies on curriculum management and delivery. This made it possible for all the schools to cover the curriculum, by the deadline stipulated by the Department of Education.

Expenditure

The total cost of the project was R926, 305; all funds have been paid out.

Description	Total Budget	Total Expenditure to date
Year One
Project materials and supplies	100 000	99 623
Educator development: conceptual knowledge	4 125	4 125
Maths Centre trainer and Part-time teachers	40 000	53 600
Revision camp and Saturday exam revision classes	320 795	320 752
Sub Total	464 920	464 500
Year Two
Learner pre-tests, learner post-tests, afternoon clinics and Saturday classes	86 000	86 000
Educator development: conceptual knowledge	16 500	16 500
Revision camp for Grade 11 and 12 learners	94 240	47 120
Baseline assessment on management of teaching and learning and development of school policy for curriculum	5 500	5 500
Sub Total	202 240	202 189
Year Three
Pre-tests, post-tests, afternoon clinics and Saturday classes	86 000	86 000
Educator development: charting teacher progression, schools-based workshops and classroom support visits	16 500	16 500
Improved management and delivery of teaching, learning and assessment	5 500	5 500
Revision camp for Grade 12 learners	151 145	161 640.32
Sub Total	259 145	219 140.32
TOTAL	926 305	925 129.46

Challenges

• Transport became a problem for some learners, when the Saturday programme was moved to the organisation’s offices in Braamsfontein. Initially, Saturday sessions were held at one of the schools but due to the school’s closures, the strategy was changed. Where schools could not facilitate transport for learners, afternoon clinics were used as a counterbalance;
• Teacher attendance at workshops was lower than expected because they clashed with the Gauteng Department of Education’s workshop series. This time was used for direct contact sessions with the learners instead.
• Maths centre had to renegotiate the participation of Lamula Jubilee Secondary School Learners in the programme activities due to clashes with extramural activities at the school.
• The 2010 group of learners presented bigger knowledge gaps than learners from previous years. Most learners were promoted to grade 12 and allowed to enrol for mathematics even if they have not obtained passes for the subject in Grade 11. The solution was to intensify the intervention for the learners, which led to more of a focus on learners than teachers.

Monitoring and evaluation

Pre- and post-intervention tests were conducted at nine schools. Pre-tests were also used to identify gaps in understanding and areas in particular need of support.

Teacher progression is monitored using workshop evaluation forms as well as diagnostic tests, which help to identify content and methodology practices, as well as knowledge gaps. Teachers receive continuous support on the sections they seem to be struggling with in the diagnostic tests.

Conclusions

This three-year long project has now come to an end. A site visit by a GreaterCapital evaluator to ten of the project schools points to the dire need for effective, holistic programmes to improve education. The programme enjoys the unanimous support of teachers, participants and school principals in these schools.

According to participants, the highlights of the programme are the exposure to practical experiments and materials in science; the opportunity to interact with teachers and learners from other schools; and the structured, open approach of Maths Centre tutors, who provide a framework which facilitates learning.

The year-on-year evaluation shows improvements in participant knowledge. However, the poor maths and science marks for Grade 12 learners at the beginning of the intervention mean that these are improvements on a low base. There are still substantial gaps in foundational knowledge, which could not be addressed by a 12 month intervention at Grade 12 level. This highlights the need to support programmes at earlier stages of learning, so that learners have a chance of mastering the basics before they reach this level. This approach is more likely to produce effective and long-lasting results. Currently, Maths Centre is offers programmes beginning in Grade 10.

Ongoing support in Maths and Science continues to be critical to counteract structural challenges

Mon, 12 July 2010

“I’ve gained a lot from the Maths Centre especially when it comes to physics... Before I wasn’t sure of getting a distinction in physics but now I’m sure.” Learner at Maths centre

REPORT 4: Maths Centre Incorporating Science - Johannesburg schools Maths and Science improvement project (http://www.sasix.co.za/projects/view/EDU-GP-MAY08-0001/)

This project aims to improve the teaching and learning of Maths and Science at 10 under-resourced schools in the Johannesburg area, with the ultimate goal of enhancing the job prospects and life opportunities of the learners. Using teacher workshops and in-class support, as well as after-school clinics and innovative resources for learners, Maths Centre provides a holistic intervention in Maths, Science and Technology education.

The project timeline is August 2008 to July 2010. This report covers the period from January to June 2010. The remaining activities and an impact assessment will be included in the impact report, which will be submitted 6 months after project is completed.

Activities and Outcomes

During the period under review, Maths Centre focused on Grade 12 learners. Support during this period was given in the form of Saturday classes, afternoon clinics and classroom support visits.

The following activities have been carried out:

• Three – four Grade 12 learners per school were selected to attend Saturday classes. Approximately 25 learners from eight schools consistently attended nine sessions, which covered topics like Algebraic Functions & Systems of Equations, Linear Programming; and Annuities and Loans.
• 29 “afternoon clinics” were held in 8 of the 10 target schools. Two hour-long sessions were held with groups of around 40 Grade 12 learners in each school.
• One teacher workshop was held at the Maths Centre. 18 maths and 13 science teachers from eight schools participated in the event. One additional workshop was held on site in order to accommodate another school, which was unable to attend. Teachers were exposed to the new Edukite software for Mathematics and Physical Science.
• Maths Centre has been monitoring the implementation of the curriculum and policies at each school. Teachers reported challenges in covering the entire curriculum by May 2010 (given the extra-long winter holidays this year). Learners are having difficulties in specific areas, such as trigonometry and algebra, which have also been identified by Maths Centre’s own assessments. These learning areas were the main focus of Saturday and afternoon classes.
• Seven schools were visited during this period; three schools received standard classroom support visits and four schools requested Maths Centre to hold special sessions to allow them to cover the whole curriculum.

Expenditure

The total cost of the project is R926, 305, with R129, 573 still to be paid.

Description	Total Budget	Total Expenditure to date
Year One
Project materials and supplies	100 000	99 623
Educator development: conceptual knowledge	4 125	4 125
Maths Centre trainer and Part-time teachers	40 000	53 600
Revision camp and Saturday exam revision classes	320 795	320 752
Sub Total	464 920	464 500
Year Two
Learner pre-tests, learner post-tests, afternoon clinics and Saturday classes	86 000	86 000
Educator development: conceptual knowledge	16 500	16 500
Revision camp for Grade 11 and 12 learners	94 240	47 120
Baseline assessment on management of teaching and learning and development of school policy for curriculum	5 500	2 500
Sub Total	259 145	202 189
Year Three
Pre-tests, post-tests, afternoon clinics and Saturday classes	86 000	35 800
Educator development: charting teacher progression, schools-based workshops and classroom support visits	16 500	6 800
Revision camp for Grade 12 learners	151 145	27 750
Sub Total	259,145	71, 650
TOTAL	926 305	738 339

The R27 750 spent on the revision camp, represents the deposit paid for the winter holiday camp still to be undertaken. The full amount will be paid once the camp has taken place.

Challenges

Maths Centre is having difficulties that go beyond what they normally experience in two of the target schools, namely Diepsloot and Lamula Jubilee Secondary Schools.

• In Diepsloot, even though the teachers have indicated that there is an urgent need for support, the school principal has been resistant to working with Maths Centre. This tension emerged from a disagreement over the organisation of a camp where, due to escalating costs, the number of learner participants was reduced. Since then the school has not participated in Maths Centre activities. Maths Centre has since tried to reach an understanding regarding the future of their involvement with the school, to no avail. Maths Centre’s Director will be organising a meeting with the school’s director to discuss matter further. The strategy that results from this meeting will be communicated to SASIX as soon as possible.
• At Lamula Jubilee Secondary School, learners are often not available for Saturday and afternoon classes. This is the result of a lack of communication with management and targeted subject teachers, as well as clashes with other programmes organised internally by the school. Maths Centre took the decision to concentrate on the other, more cooperative schools. They believe that allocating their resources in this way has produced a bigger social impact.
• Transport is a challenge for most learners attending Saturday classes. Maths Centre is considering funding learners’ travel and refreshment.
• Judging by the results of pre-intervention assessments, this cohort of Grade 12 learners is particularly week in Maths and Science.
• Maths Centre struggled to schedule teacher workshops because they often collided with Department of Education activities (such as workshops and road shows). While it has been acknowledged that better planning and consultation with the DoE is needed, activities are often spontaneous and difficult to anticipate.

Monitoring and evaluation

Pre- and post-intervention tests were conducted at eight schools. These showed a knowledge increase ranging between 10 – 40%. As usual, those learners whose initial knowledge is most limited show the biggest improvements. Pre-tests were also used to identify gaps in understanding and areas in particular need of support. The sample of learners attending winter camp will be used to monitor and evaluate the benefits of the intervention.

Teacher progression is monitored using workshop evaluation forms as well as diagnostic tests, which help to identify content and methodology practices, as well as knowledge gaps. Teachers receive continuous support on the sections they seem to be struggling with as noted from the diagnostic tests.

Comparative analysis of learners’ and teachers’ results offer important findings: low scores by teachers in a particular school often correlate to the low results of learners in the same school. One of the reasons for this might be the fact that some of the teachers in the project are new not only to the school but to the teaching profession, which reinforces the need for increased teacher support.

Conclusions

After nearly two years, this project is drawing to a close. In 2010, findings from preliminary tests reveal that average results are very low. Even though pre- and post-tests of Maths Centre’s own programmes do show an increase in comprehension and grasp of the topics covered during the various project activities, there are structural problems in teaching, teacher training and curriculum implementation, which play out negatively for the learners.

As part of the final impact evaluation of the project, GreaterCapital would like to advice Maths Centre to conduct a critical evaluation of the programme in each of the target schools, which combines and compares the results of the different evaluations conducted on learners and teachers. Such a report should highlight consistent improvements in learner and/or teacher performance, success factors and challenges, as well as external factors that might have influenced the intervention.

Maths Centre’s M&E system clearly supports the need for increased strategic support to teachers if the average low results of South African learners in Maths and Science subjects are to be improved.

First results show improvements in learner performance

Tue, 30 March 2010

“The workshop... will assist educators to prepare their learners for the upcoming examinations precisely, because it is in accordance with exam guidelines from the Department of Education.”

REPORT 3: Maths Centre Incorporating Science - Johannesburg schools Maths and Science improvement project (http://www.sasix.co.za/projects/view/EDU-GP-MAY08-0001/)

This project aims to improve the teaching and learning of Maths and Science at 10 under-resourced schools in the City of Johannesburg, with the ultimate goal of enhancing the job prospects and life opportunities of the learners. Using teacher workshops and in-class support, as well as after-school clinics and innovative resources for learners, the Maths Centre provides a holistic intervention in the critical areas of Maths, Science and Technology education. The project timeline is August 2008 to July 2010. This report covers the period from July to December 2009

Outputs and Impact

Support during this period was focused on holiday programmes, revision schemes and career counselling.

The following activities have been carried out:

• 50 Grade 11 learners and 50 Grade 12 learners from 10 schools attended a 5-day revision camp during winter school holidays in July 2009, covering topics like functions, financial mathematics and logarithms.

• Five workshops for educators were conducted covering various topics, such as electromagnetism and information, communication, technology (ICT). The results of pre- and post- evaluation tests on participants show between 15 and 39% improvements in participant knowledge.

• Learners received Saturday’s revision sessions in October and November before their final examination dates in Mathematics and Science.

• During October and November schools were assisted with the development of their school policy for curriculum management and delivery. Most schools already had policies, but these generally needed to be reviewed. These policies are all now ready for implementation in 2010.

• Learners wrote pre-intervention assessments at the beginning of the year, and, during the July holidays, post-intervention assessments were administered. The results indicate that learner knowledge has improved significantly. In Mathematics, content knowledge for Grade 11 improved by between 7 and 15% in all schools. Average pass rates range between 35 and 50%. Improvement in content knowledge for Grade 12 learners was greater ranging between 10 and 20%. Average pass rates are about 50%.

• Assessments in Science indicate that learners have more difficulty with this subject.

• Comparisons of learner results in the target schools with overall provincial results show that the target schools are still behind in learner performance. Findings at this stage show that only two project schools achieved pass rates better than the provincial average of 55.7%.

• In the case of Physical Science, three schools obtained pass rate percentages above the provincial average of 46.3%.

• Matric school results from 2008 were compared to those obtained in 2009. Findings indicate that five of the project schools showed improvements ranging from 0.5 to 17.4%.

Expenditure

The cost of the project is R926,305, with R259,145 still to be paid.

Description	Total Budget	Total Expenditure to date
Year One
Project materials and supplies	100,000	99,623
Educator development: conceptual knowledge	4,125	4,125
Maths Centre trainer and Part-time teachers	40,000	53,600
Revision camp and Saturday exam revision classes	320,795	320,752
Sub Total	464,920	464,500
Year Two
Learner pre-tests, learner post-tests, afternoon clinics and Saturday classes	86,000	46,000
Educator development: conceptual knowledge	16,500	8,500
Revision camp for Grade 11 and 12 learners	94,240	78,189
Charting teacher progression, schools-based workshops and classroom support visits	16,500	8,500
Baseline assessment on management of teaching and learning and development of school policy for curriculum	5,500	2,500
Sub Total	202,240	151,189
Year Three
Pre-tests, post-tests, afternoon clinics and Saturday classes	86,000	-
Revision camp for Grade 12 learners	173,145	-
Sub Total	259,145	-
TOTAL	926,305	515,500

Challenges

Maths Centre’s tutors are regularly adapting their methodology to the special needs of learners and teachers in the target schools. Some of the typical challenges faced during the intervention are:

1. Gaps in learner understanding skills;
2. Learners struggle to understand content;
3. Lack of career counselling. For this purpose, one career counselling session was implemented for each school.
4. Management of learning material to avoid damage and loss - Continuous checks are conducted and schools have been requested to tighten controls of resources.

Monitoring and evaluation

Maths Centre uses a comprehensive approach to charting learner and teacher progression. Diverse sources of information are used to measure the impact of the project as well as the increase in learner performance in Maths and Sciences. These include comparing results at target schools with provincial averages; pre- and post-intervention assessments and result analysis.

Examples of indicators used are:

• Learners who wrote vs. learners who passed the Grade 12 exams;
• Number of learner admissions to Higher Education Institutes;
• Number of learner distinctions per subject;
• Improvements from previous years.

Conclusions

The project is approaching its final phase, and an initial evaluation of learners and teachers’ progression has been conducted. Findings from assessments of results against various information sources point out that the 10 target schools in Johannesburg continue to fall behind the provincial performance average. However, pre- and post-tests of Maths Centre’s own programmes do show an increase in comprehension and grasp of the topics covered during the various project activities.

As part of the final impact evaluation of the project, GreaterCapital would like to advice Maths Centre to conduct a critical evaluation of the 3-year programme on each of the target schools, which combines and compares the results of the different evaluations conducted on learners as well as on teachers. Such a report should highlight consistent improvement in learner and/or teacher progression per school, success factors and hurdles, as well as consider external factors, which might have influenced the intervention.

Maths Centre is also currently working on a piece of research to assess the impact of support interventions on learners relative to focusing on teacher training. A brief summary of this critical assessment will be provided as part of the next progress report.

Learners and teachers ready for evaluation

Mon, 5 October 2009

”Thank you for helping me to manage the paper work effectively. I am able to record learners’ work after marking and give them feedback.” Ms Khaunsela (Maths teacher at Daliwonga Secondary).

REPORT 2: Maths Centre Incorporating Science Johannesburg schools maths and science improvement project

This project aims to improve the teaching and learning of maths and science at ten under-resourced schools in the City of Johannesburg, with the ultimate goal of enhancing the job prospects and life opportunities of the learners. Using teacher workshops and in-class support, as well as after-school clinics and innovative resources for learners, the Maths Centre provides a holistic intervention in the maths, science and technology education.

The project timeline is August 2008 to July 2010.

Outputs and impact

During the second phase of the project, learners were exposed to different learning strategies and tools to overcome gaps in their subject knowledge. Practical science kits, designed to entice learners’ interests in careers in science and engineering, were used in the schools. Information and communication technologies (ICTs) were introduced in maths and science teaching as part of the school-based workshops, which generated great interest and enthusiastic participation among both teachers and learners.

Outputs:

Learner Performance:

• A sample of 18 learners per grade from each of the ten targeted schools wrote pre-tests in Maths and Science. The results of these tests were used to identify gaps in learner knowledge and informed the content of the project’s interventions. Feedback was given to the schools on the nature of these interventions.
• 18 Saturday revision classes of three hours each were held in three schools, with over 1800 Grade 11 and 12 learners attending. In seven out of the ten target schools, Saturday classes were already being conducted by school teachers and coordinated by Department of Education. The Maths Centre focused on conducting Saturday classes in the three schools that did not have any extra support.
• Six afternoon clinics of two hours each were conducted in nine schools. In these sessions, learners were encouraged to ask questions, perform practical exercises and work in groups.
• 400 training packs on maths and science were prepared. These will be used during the Winter Revision Camp.

Educator Development:

• 32 maths and science teachers from nine schools benefited from four two-hour workshops in FET curriculum subjects. Each school had identified specific areas in need of support through an assessment conducted during the first term (i.e. Trigonometry, Financial Mathematics and Electrodynamics). A two-hour extra session on teaching practices using Information and Communication Technology (ICT) was also provided.
• Each school benefitted from six classroom support sessions, which focused on lesson planning, learner assessment, classroom management and the introduction of new topics to the curriculum. Co-teaching during classes was used as a form of support. Teachers are now able to showcase best practises, document critical incidences of change in their lessons and benefit from mutual sharing and learning with colleagues. During these sessions, teachers were encouraged to display learners’ work on the classroom walls to create an environment conducive to learning. This has contributed to an improvement in learners’ assignment presentations.

School Management

• Baseline questionnaires were completed by the principal and by the mathematics and science teachers of each school. The exercise provided insight into school management as well as the policies of the subject departments in each school.
• Extra classroom support was provided for the end-of-term assessments in March. The purpose was to check adherence to the school assessment policy and to give support on analysis of results.
• All target schools are now complying with the new school curricula and are effectively implementing assessment and curriculum management policies. This is also being overseen by the Department of Education through regular communication.

Outstanding activities and reporting

According to the initial planning for 2009, the following activities will be reported on as part of the next project phase:

• A 5-day revision camp for Grade 11 & 12 learners, where each school is requested to send 10 learners (5 boys and 5 girls). This activity took place in July.
• Charting teacher progression after workshop attendance. Assessments were conducted in July.

The timeline for 2009 includes the following activities:

• Learners’ performance tracking: writing of post-tests and feedback (October/November 2009).
• On-going activities: 3rd and 4th term afternoon clinics and Saturday classes.
• Educator development: school-based workshops and support visits.
• Revision camp and Saturday classes.
• Finalising the development of whole school policy for curriculum management and delivery.

Expenditure

The cost of the project is R926, 305, with R360, 265 still to be paid.

Description	Total Budget	Total Expenses to date
Year one
Project materials and supplies	100 000	99 623
Educator development: conceptual knowledge	4 125	4 125
Maths Centre trainer and part-time teachers	40 000	53 600
Revision camp and Saturday exam revision classes	320 795	320 752
Subtotal	64 920	464 500
Year two
Learner pre-tests, learner post-tests, afternoon clinics and Saturday classes	86 000	40 000
Revision camp for Grade 11 and 12 learners	94 240	-
Charting teacher progression, schools-based workshops and classroom support visits	16 500	8 000
Baseline assessment on management of teaching and learning and development of school policy for curriculum	5 500	3 000
Subtotal	202 240	53 500
Year three
Pre-tests, post-tests, afternoon clinics and Saturday classes	86 000	-
Revision camp for Grade 12 learners	173 145	-
Subtotal	259 145	-
Total	926 305	515 500

Challenges

• A baseline assessment of teachers’ curriculum knowledge was not implemented. This was due to some teachers feeling uncomfortable with being assessed because some topics in the curriculum were new, and they feared that the results would be disclosed to the Department of Education and jeopardise their jobs. Instead, the Maths Centre introduced short, informal assessments in the form of workshop memoranda that were completed by participants after each workshop. With the feedback provided, teachers acknowledged the use of tests and agreed to undergo post-intervention assessments for the purpose of improving their performance. These were carried out in July.
• In three of the targeted schools, Diepsloot Combined School, East Bank Secondary School and Realogile Secondary School, Saturday classes could not be carried out due to scheduling conflicts. The Maths Centre therefore decided to reinforce its intervention in these schools by extending afternoon clinics to 1.5/2hour-long sessions.
• Long travelling distance to Diepsloot Combined School has complicated afternoon clinics. This was a planning oversight on the side of the Maths Centre, which will affect the intervention programme in this school up until completion. In order to complete the tuition programme, the Maths Centre decided to implement intensive holiday programs (five days, full-time) for teachers and learners in this school.
• Due to an increasing demand for ICT material by teachers, schools have been advised to control lending and restrict usage to within school premises in order to give all relevant teachers a fair chance to make use the materials.
• Due to disruptive events in Soweto in June, the learner camp was postponed to the second week of July.
• Despite the Maths Centre providing materials for experiments to be conducted during afternoon clinics, 4 classes were short of chemicals. This was due to repeated experiments taking place. In these cases, learners watched a DVD where an experiment was conducted and recorded their findings.
• Trained teachers continue leaving schools for promotional posts. In order to assist with planning and to ensure the sustainability of the project, two extra teachers per school (one per subject) received ICT training.
• Teacher unions raised concerns about after-school activities and extended hours worked by their members. However, The Maths Centre reached an agreement on the project schools and teachers have been allowed to participate without extra remuneration.

Monitoring and evaluation

• Monitoring learner-progress consists of pre- and post-intervention tests. Reporting on the post-test results, which were carried out in July, will be done during the next project phase. Results will be used to assess the effectiveness of the intervention.
• School-based workshops are evaluated in a number of ways, including assessing teacher confidence and post-intervention tests. Teachers will be assessed in August and September.

Conclusions and analysis

The project has made significant progress since the initial stage, and increasing numbers of teachers and learners are being exposed to new teaching techniques and offered extra support. While there have been a number of challenges to the initial project plan, The Maths Centre has proven itself to be flexible enough to address these concerns in ways that have benefitted all stakeholders.

Monitoring will be essential to the success of the Maths Centre’s strategy. This will require the diligent collection of baseline data on teachers and learners. During the next implementation period, evaluation assessments will be carried out, which will provide preliminary but revealing information on the impact of the intervention on learners’ knowledge and teachers’ career development.

Maths and science training in 10 Johannesburg schools

Mon, 6 April 2009

“Thank you for your contribution towards my success in passing Matric well with good symbols in Maths and Science…I will come back in the near future to offer my time to teach maths and science, as well as motivate the students at the camp.” - Paul Mashegoane, learner.

REPORT 1: Maths Centre Incorporating Science: Johannesburg schools maths and science improvement project

This project aims to improve the teaching and learning of maths and science at 10 under-resourced schools in the City of Johannesburg, to improve the job prospects and life opportunities of the learners. Using teacher workshops and in-class support, as well as after-school clinics and resources for learners, the Maths Centre provides a holistic intervention in the critical area of maths, science and technology education.

Impact

• 12 maths and 11 science teachers were involved in three school-based workshops.
• Six class visits, focusing on transferring knowledge to learners, were conducted at each school. The class visits and teacher workshops improved the teachers’ confidence in the subject matter. This was demonstrated by an average improvement from 33% to 76% in self-assessed confidence in presenting subject matter. Reports indicate that teachers are now more confident and engage learners in lessons. Teachers are also beginning to see the benefits of using different teaching methods.
• Ten part-time teachers per subject, received six hours of training a day for two days, improving their conceptual knowledge.
• 12 Saturday revision classes of two hours each were held, with 480 learners attending.
• A maths and science revision camp was held for Grade 11 and 12 learners, with 463 of 480 learners attending. The aim of the camp and revision classes was to prepare learners for the end-of-year exams. The original proposal indicated that the camp would be organised for Grade 10 and 11 learners, due to the unavailability of Grade 12s. This was then changed, as the Department of Education decided that Grade 12s may be released for the revision camp. Grade 10s received additional help in afternoon revision clinics.

Activities

• Maths, physical science and chemistry study guides with solutions were supplied to 480 learners.
• Each school was provided with a data projector, a notebook computer and a mouse pen tablet. * * This was provided after an audit of resources revealed the need.
• Evaluation of material usage.
• Producing training packs for examination revision.
• Three school-based teacher training workshops and six class visits were conducted.
• 12 Saturday revision classes were held.
• 20 part-time teachers were trained to assist at the revision camp.
• A revision camp was held, with 463 learners attending.

Expenditure

The cost of the project is R926,305, with R461,385 still to be paid.

Description	Total Budget	Total Expenses to date
Year one
Project materials and supplies	100 000	99 623
Educator development: conceptual knowledge	4 125	4 125
Maths Centre trainer and Part-time teachers	40 000	53 600
Revision camp and Saturday exam revision classes	320 795	320 752
Sub total	464 920	464 500
Year two
Learner pre-tests, learner post-tests, afternoon clinics and Saturday classes	86 000	-
Revision camp for Grade 11 and 12 learners	116 240	-
Sub total	202 240	-
Year three
Pre-tests, post-tests, afternoon clinics and Saturday classes	86 000	-
Revision camp for Grade 12 learners	173 145	-
Subtotal	259 145	-
Total	926 305	464 500

Challenges

• Changes in plans from the Department of Education are not timeously communicated to the Maths Centre and at times, they clash with the plans that are in place. This results in late rescheduling of some of the Maths Centre’s plans.
• Maths and science departments in the schools delay their report backs to the School Management Team. This creates problems when a trainer visits the school and the school management was not aware of the visit.
• There has been a circular from teacher unions stating that teachers are not expected to work overtime or after 3pm, unless they receive remuneration.
• As per the proposal, the 2008 revision camp was originally planned for Grade 10s and 11s, as Grade 12 learners were not able to attend the camp on the scheduled weekend. However, the Maths Centre was later informed that the Grade 12s would be available for the camp. It was then decided to include the Grade 12s in the 2008 revision camp and to exclude the Grade 10s, as it was reasoned that the Grade 10s would be included in the revision camp the following year. Grade 10s receive additional help in the afternoon revision clinics, which do not form part of the SASIX programme for year one. The Maths Centre did not communicate this change with SASIX.
• A venue could not be found that would cater for 480 learners, so the camp had to be split into two separate camps. Fortunately, this did not result in overspend on the camp.
• Not all the Grade 12s were able to attend the workshop, as not all schools had planned accordingly. 85 Grade 11s were thus included in the camp. Any Grade 12 learners who could not attend the camp were provided with additional revision classes on Saturdays.
• Schools did not receive the teacher support material or training in November. This was because they were busy with examinations and training was to be conducted before the material was handed over to schools. The training and materials were thus provided in January 2009.

Monitoring and evaluation

• Monitoring consists of pre- and post-intervention tests for learners. The learner pre-tests have been carried out. However, the post-test is only carried out at the project year-end (July).
• Monitoring also includes an evaluation of the effect of workshops on teacher confidence in presenting certain content. This has shown an average increase from 33% to 76% in confidence levels.
• Teacher confidence levels are measured using scoring for a subjective self-assessment of confidence in presenting specific topics in maths and science.

Conclusions and Analysis

The Maths Centre has an excellent track record of improving maths and science results in schools across the country and works closely with the Department of Education (DoE) to boost achievement in these critical areas.

The project has carried out its objectives for the reporting period. Although it is too early to assess its effect on the learners, evaluation of teachers indicate improvement in their confidence in presentation of certain subject topics.

The only concern brought up by the SASIX review panel was the fact that Grade 10s were excluded from the revision camp. This was a direct contravention of the grant agreement between GreaterGood South Africa and Maths Centre Incorporating Science, as any changes made to the proposal needed to be communicated to the funder before being carried out.

The reason for the change, as provided by the Maths Centre and as mentioned above, was that taking the Grade 12s on the camp was in fact part of the original planned activities. It was only changed when the DoE informed the Maths Centre that Grade 12s would not be available for the camp at the scheduled time of year.

However, towards the end of the year, the DoE informed the Maths Centre that the Grade 12s would be available for the revision camp. The Maths Centre then decided that the Grade 12s would be included as per the original plan, while the Grade 10s would be excluded. The reasoning was that the Grade 10s would be included in the camp taking place the following year (as per the original plan), and for the first year they would benefit from extra help at the afternoon revision clinics.

It must be noted that the SASIX review panel is not unsupportive of the need for changes in a project programme; and indeed this particular change seemed a logical step in including the current Grade 12 learners in the programme. However, we firmly believe that within the social investment arena, the process by which this is done has to be responsible and accountable to both the beneficiaries and the funders, and that informed decisions should be taken that all parties involved, agree to.