Education Without Borders (EwB), a Canadian based organisation, aims to provide improved educational opportunities and facilities in disadvantaged regions of the world and highlights the simplicity of mathematics and emphasises the critical importance of foundational skills while acknowledging the complicated challenges and circumstances of life, which many of IkamvaYouth learners are coping with. EwB focuses on our Grade 8s as the program helps lower grade learners understand basic maths principles. The program was facilitated by Nicolas Mei and he has been with the learners since its inception in 2011. Below we share some of the results we have achieved this year.
1.Quantitative Impact of the EWB Program
20 learners started the EwB program at the beginning of 2012 in total, 2 were excluded because of poor attendance, 2 dropped out and the 16 is still doing well in the program. All the learners come from different schools across Khayelitsha.
2. Class Assessments
We have held 4 internal assessment tests, with one written each term based on the four books covered, including a revision test at the end of the year
The assessment tests results are shown below:
Average Book 1 & Book 2 vs. Term 1 & 2 Test Results Statistics
Figure 1: EWB learner term 1 & 2 math results and school grade aggregate result comparison.
Figure 1 shows some great results in learners school reports, gained after they have achieved good results in the internal test for the term after the completion of Book 1&2, which provided training for their June exams. For the majority of the class their tests scores covered by the books were significantly higher than the school results.
3. Book 3 vs. Term 3 Test Results Statistics
Figure 2: EWB learner term 3 math result and school grade aggregate result comparison.
Figure 2 shows some momentum by the EwB learners in their school results, gained after they achieved good results in the internal test for the term after completing Book 3. By this point the books are catching up with the work they are dealing with in class and the results show a significant increase not only in mathematics but in all other subjects as their confidence grows.
4. Outstanding Learners
The learners who have participated throughout the year and attended regularly showed the greatest improvement and delivered results not only in math, but also in other academic areas. In some cases where we saw huge imprvements in math results or term averages, the learners were visibly more confident and focused on achieving an understanding of the subject. Learners that stood out even more were those that did not only have major leaps in their math results, but who also provided their peers with the necessary help to achieve.
These learners are wonderful examples of the excellence of the class and their results for the three terms are highlighted below.
|
|
Term 1
|
Term 2
|
Term 3
|
Term 4
|
|
Learner 1
|
62%
|
74%
|
87%
|
82%
|
|
Learner 2
|
64%
|
61%
|
70%
|
77%
|
|
Learner 3
|
75%
|
64%
|
77%
|
98%
|
Table 2: EWB outstanding learners throughout the year.
These learners didn’t only achieve academically, they also received Ikamva Youth Best Attendance, Most Committed and Top Learner for achieving 95%+ attendance, for showing leadership and commitment in class.
Looking at the grade 9s of 2012, that took part in the program, most of the learners scored 70% and above and 8 learners scroring a level 80% and above in the final exams. This shows the great impact and the good foundation that the program provides the learners. This is also very good for IkamvaYouth and our mission of getting more black learners into tertiary institutions and with the results that we currently have, we can foresee a bigger group of learners that will become the scientist, engineers and doctors we need in this country.
IkamvaYouth is very thankful to Education Without Borders for enabling us to implement the Math Yes We Can books for our Grade 8’s, and also for making a difference in the future of our youth. Special thanks to: Cecil and Ruth Hershler-funding provided through Education Without Borders, ‘Yes We Can’ math books writen by Dr Rahael Jalan and Nicholas Mei – Grade 8 facilitator.
Lloyd Lungu