Just over a year ago I was approached by Andrew Einhorn, a UCT grad student, who was interested in implementing an online maths program at Makhaza. All he needed was access to the lab, access to a class and a tutor. A year down the line not only he has completely revamped two of our branches labs in Makhaza and Nyanga, established a formal Khan Academy program in these branches (as well as other locations in Cape Town and rural Eastern Cape), but has produced results at very low costs, and is piloting in schools for 2013.
His passion for creating high impact and stimulating learning environments in township and rural locations often only privy to the wealthy few has seen him start Numeric, an NGO interested in finding ways to bring Khan Academy to South Africa and make it a useful resource to both teachers and learners. He presented an inspiring TEDxUCT talk last year outlining the background, as well as the impact and results Numeric has had. He also posted the following blog on the Khan Academy website:
A little over 15 months ago, we started an experiment. We wanted to know if Khan Academy was viable in township (slum) areas in South Africa and if so, what type of impact it might have on numeracy. Numeracy in South Africa is astonishingly weak, with just 2% of Grade 9s scoring over 50% on the annual national assessments in 2012.
And so we set out to see if Khan Academy might be used as a catalyst for change. But before I expound on the results of this experiment, I ought perhaps give a little more background on the environments we’re working in.
Townships in South Africa are not unlike the favelas of Brazil or the slums bordering Delhi and Calcutta in India. They are urban areas that were, until the end of Apartheid in 1994, reserved for non-whites, but have now become residential hubs for the urbanizing masses. They are typically built on the periphery of cities and tend to be characterized by high population density, poverty and unemployment. Picture a ramshackle of makeshift houses constructed out of corrugated iron, wood scraps and cardboard, jigsawed together into a gigantic maze 5 miles wide and 10 miles across. At the risk of generalising grossly, that’s more or less the picture I want you to have in mind as you read this article.
Now, townships in South Africa get a bad rap. They are viewed as ‘dangerous’ places and it is considered unwise to visit them unless you know someone there, or visit them as part of a ‘township tour’. Yet while crime rates in these areas are often high, the reputation does not do justice to the vibrant and persevering people who inhabit them. In particular, townships are YOUNG! On any given day, around two o’clock in the afternoon, the streets flood with uniformed, backpack-toting children on their way home from school. And despite having barely two pennies to rub together, they are meticulously dressed – shiny black shoes, starched white collars – and have aspirations to match. Most of the children in South Africa live in some form of township, which means that children growing up in these environments constitute the better part of the future of our country.
And yet it is supremely difficult to convince our best teachers to go and work in these areas. They are offered good jobs in well-resourced schools most often located in the wealthy suburbs of the cities. Principals at these schools compete fiercely for their skills. And this is as it should be. But it also entrenches the educational bias whereby a child’s access to quality education is directly proportional to the wealth of their family (see chart below).
* University exemption rate refers to the percentage of learners who attain the academic marks in their final year of school that are necessary to gain access to South African universities.
So Numeric’s experiment was to see whether we could use Khan Academy, in conjunction with a slightly less skilled (and often unqualified) math coach, to create the high impact and stimulating learning environments enjoyed by kids living in wealthier suburbs.
The opportunity provided by Khan Academy premised on the following: Videos do not argue about where they are played; they are unaffected by crime and environment. Appropriately licensed, they do not cost anything. They do not grow weary, skip class, or grow jaded. Instead, they convey their message enthusiastically, faithfully, clearly – time and time again. A child may watch just as many videos as he/she has appetite for, and need never feel limited by the dragging on of a boring class or an inept teacher. For many children in South Africa, a Khan Academy video will be their first exposure to what we might term ‘world class instruction’. When complemented by the exercises on the Knowledge Map, Khan Academy becomes a powerful tool for turning the tide on numeracy in South Africa.
So what were the results of the experiment? Well, it’s probably too early to draw any major conclusions, but we do have a few figures we’d like to share. We currently run 7 Khan Academy classes across 3 different hubs in the Eastern and Western Cape provinces of South Africa. The first pilot group of 20 Grade 9s has just completed its first twelve months of Khan Academy and their numbers are as follows:
* Total Khan Academy hours delivered: 2220
* Total Problems Solved: 27,988
* Total Problems per learner: 1399
* Total Khan Modules Complete: 1232
* Average Modules per learner: 62
Bearing in mind this is an afterschool programme, these are 27,988 math problems that would not otherwise have been attempted. The 62 modules completed by the average learner constitute 62 gaps that those learners have filled. But it’s more about just the numbers; it’s about creating excitement and enthusiasm around learning. This is hard to convey in words, but perhaps a picture will suffice.
As we always say to our coaches, the tragedy in South Africa is not so much that kids don’t want to learn. It’s that some kids DO want to learn, but can’t. Khan Academy provides us one way to give these kids a world-class education without having to magically replenish our nation’s supply of teachers. And who knows, perhaps one day these kids will become the inspirational and talented teachers we have waited for for so long!
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Andrew Einhorn is the founder and current CEO of Numeric.org. His TEDx talk on Numeric.org and Khan Academy is available here.
The 1st of December marked world AIDS day, but it was also a day where we honoured our achievers for the hard work they have done during the year. The prize giving was well attended by learners, their families, partners and supporters and IY staff and they bore witness to the great work and sacrifice the learners made and how these sacrifices were converted into achievement. Most of the prizes that were given out were for academic achievement, but we also had prizes for attendance, learners need to be present 75% of the year, and in Makhaza more than 50% of our Ikamvanites had an average attendance of over 90%. This is a great feat as we have tutoring 5 days a week and this dedication just shows how special this programme is to the learners.
Other certificates included the most improved learner per grade, outstanding leadership, learner of the year voted by learners as well as tutors and the most committed learner per grade. 11 learners walked away with computers donated by Capitec, 18 learners received a prize of a day trip with Carl Palmer and others received stationary packs. Our tutors also received certificates and were thanked for their efforts and the time they spent tutoring. The Khan Academy and Marion Walton from UCT also handed out certificates and prizes for the projects they ran during the year.
We would like to thank all our partners and supporters, especially Capitec, Numeric, The University of Cape Town, Sinakho high school, Education Without Borders, Carl Palmer, Marion Walton, Andrew Einhorn, Ikapadata , Reel Lives, the Nazeema Isaacs library and staff.
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.
The past three months have seen a few of the Nyanga and Makhaza learners turn into local short film documentary film makers – learning valuable industry skills, while grappling with real issues they face in their lives. Partnering with a US based organisation,
Reel Lives, who use
filmaking media to support education, empowerment and social change.
Each of our learners in the program shot and edited an individual, non-fiction film related to a personal human rights issue in their own lives. Through the process of making these films, they were supported in engaging with their own lives in a unique way, and in experiencing the catharsis of an informal, but powerful, art therapy structure.
Have a look at their teasers, as well as read about the process and what they’ve got up to over the past three months here.
And now please join us in supporting our learners for the premiere of their films!
Saturday November 24th, 11:30am (doors open @ 11am. Please arrive early, limited seating)
Labia Theatre, 68 Orange Street, Gardens, Cape Town
FREE entry, Donations appreciated.
We look forward to seeing you there, please feel free to bring along partners / friends / family
IkamvaYouth is very lucky that for the past two months 8 lucky ikamvanites has had the opportunity to be part of a film-making course with Reel Lives. The film-making course is being facilitated by Leah Sapin, Director of programs, and Lyle Kane, the Executive Director. Both Leah and Lyle are from New York and they have brought along with them very expensive photography equipment to help our learners tell their stories.
Reel Lives uses media to support education, empowerment and social change. Their approach consists of an integrated set of programming that achieves both depth and breadth of service. Each student learns the skills associated with documentary filmmaking, from cinematography to narrative development and non-linear editing with Final Cut Pro. Each young filmmaker is engaging with their own lives through film. Executive director and former teacher, Lyle Kane said, “Working with these young filmmakers in Cape Town has been amazing both personally and professionally. The power of their stories will have an impact on anyone who sees these films, and the process has proven to us that our model of training is transferable. Our work dovetails so wonderfully with the concept and practice of IkamvaYouth’s work.”
“Reel Lives has been very useful to my life. It supported me on the huge challenge that I use to be afraid of. Now I am at the top of my life. I have accepted and know myself better,” said Kuhle Riti, one of the lucky Ikamvanites. The Reel Lives project has started as an idea to show the world what really happens in South African townships from an insider’s perspective. Most documentaries tell stories from the outside, but by equipping the learners with the skills to make their own documentary, they give the world a personal view of what really happens.
Students are not just taught in a classroom setting, but they are taught how to handle the film-making equipment and shoot their documentaries on their own and in a group. This teaches the students how to work on their own, but also how to look after expensive equipment and will stand them in good stead later on in the lives.
Join us on the 24th of November 2012 for the premiere of the documentaries. More details will follow, so watch this space.
Each Ikamvanite shared their unique understanding of the vision and then collaboratively mapped the way forward, brainstorming the ways in which the different branches will implement it.
After re-visiting the vision, the group launched a discussion on the targets for 2013 and the IY budget, at both branch and provincial level. The targets set for our current Matrics lie between an 80% and 100% pass rate for all our branches across the country and our average spend per leaner continues to show that we can make a difference in the lives of the young people we work with, at very low cost. As testimony to this, 12 of our Matrics from the Makhaza branch have been pre-accepted into different courses at the University of Cape Town and this can be linked directly to the influence of the IY program and model.
The relatively low spend per learner partly motivates our vision to expand and replicate the existing IkamvaYouth model. Not only is our model tried and tested for 9 years, but it is cost effective and therefore accessible for everyone who wants to take part in building an even better South Africa.
Our day ended with the IkamvaYouth staff exchanging gifts. It was a fun but meaningful time, where we realised once again that IkamvaYouth is not just an NGO, but a family that really cares.
Lloyd Lungu