News
EnTIRe - maths outreach in Africa
EnTIRe, the SNSF Ambizione project hosted at the Department of Mathematics at the University of Geneva, came to a successful conclusion last month. The project started in 2021 and focused on the interaction between the algebraic geometry of moduli spaces of curves, the mathematical physics of integrable systems, and resurgence. A separate section of the project focused on engagement in maths outreach in nine African countries.
EnTIRe was led by Danilo Lewański, a former Senior Researcher in Marcos Mariño's group who now works at the University of Trieste’s Geometry group. During the past decade, Danilo has been involved in Maths education activities at different levels, mainly in Africa. The project EnTIRe was carried out in collaboration with the UK-based charity SAMI (Supporting African Maths Initiatives), with whom Danilo has also collaborated since 2016 and is now one of the directors, as well as with IDEMS International and the African organizsations AMI and INNODEMS.
By providing fun and exciting mathematics activities and developing long-lasting materials, the project’s main objective was to change the attitudes and perceptions of children about mathematics. While the long-term impact is difficult to measure, the immediate change in attitudes towards maths has already been noticeable at different levels.
"I thought mathematics was just about formulae, but it is also about reasoning".
A student's camp journal
During the coming months, four EnTIRe programs will be presented, along with their challenges and how they were addressed.
Program 1: Happy Classrooms
Painting the walls with educational resources in West Kenya SNSF Ambizione project “EnTIRe” hosted at the Section de Mathématiques — Université de Genève (Resp. Scient. Danilo Lewański, Université de Genève and Universitá di Trieste)
Description:
More than 40 classrooms in western Kenya are now Happy Classrooms (like the one in the picture below). The classrooms are painted with colourful teaching resources, mainly about Geometry, Algebra, notions of daily life and intuition on space and time.
The project Happy Classrooms aims to fill the gaps in basic literacy and numeracy in the educational space of sub-Saharan Africa by creating a conducive learning environment in elementary schools. This is done by designing brighter and more resourceful classrooms for teaching and learning, creating model lessons, and training teachers to teach challenging lessons that promote low-threshold, high-ceilinged classrooms. The goal is to improve students' skills, particularly in schools facing challenges such as poor infrastructure, lack of quality teaching materials, trained teachers, and effective teaching methods, which have led to low levels of literacy and numeracy among students. Visual learners are being facilitated, and the project also promotes identifying students with potential or in need.
The paint is estimated to last about ten years, but we have learnt that only painting the walls does not achieve the impact we are looking for. New content is constantly being developed, and technology is used to support teaching and learning as the curriculum is progressively introduced in middle schools. Happy Classrooms are accompanied by a customised SAMI-developed app used by teachers on their phones to offer lessons that engage and actively interact with the resources available on the walls.
Danilo’s Ambizione project EnTIRe, hosted at the Section de Mathématiques — Université de Genève has supported the painting and continuous engagement with local teachers for a total of 15 Happy Classrooms. The project aims to scale the Happy Classroom model beyond Kenya and spread it wherever it can be impactful. Local teachers have been independently imitating the maths Happy Classroom model by painting additional classrooms with resources on different subjects. For instance, there’s now a first-aid/medicine Happy classroom. Many thanks to the Happy Classrooms project lead, Samuel Okoth Ogalo.
Image: ‘Supporting African Maths Initiatives’
Partners: - Swiss National Science Foundation, Université de Genève — Section de Mathématiques. - IDEMS International, INNODEMS, Supporting African Maths Initiatives (SAMI, UK-based Charity), African Maths Initiatives (AMI, Kenya-based association).
Below the picture with the Principal of one of the schools in Kakamega involved in the project (right), the Kenyan Happy Classroom project lead Samuel, and Feleria (left). Danilo had, in the summer of 2023, the opportunity to visit several schools involved, meet their students and directors, and get feedback on the impact of the project.
13 Nov 2023