Mathematics and Physics tutoring at Sinethemba High School    

There is a recognized need for help outside the classroom with the physical sciences and Mathematics at Sinethemba High School. In addition to improving performance in the classroom and during examinations, developing mathematical and quantitative skills will considerably enhance the students’ confidence in their abilities.

1999: Paula Tudorof (Cornell University, USA)

SAEP'S programme for the support for science and mathematics education began in 1999 with the work of Paula Tudorof, an SAEP intern majoring in biology at Cornell University.  Paula was SAEP's first intern placed at Sinethemba High School.  Her programme involved the introduction of concepts in environmental conservation and environmental protection by focussing on environmental problems in the Philippi community.  She soon concluded that what was urgently needed was to focus on basic principles of biology for the benefit of students who were in their final or "matric" year and would soon be taking their final examinations.  Soon after she began her tutoring in biology, the learners asked for tutorial help in mathematics as well.  This established the pattern in SAEP's programmes at Sinethemba of responding to the academic needs articulated by the learners themselves.

    
2000: Harsha Setty (Duke University, USA)

In June 2000, Harsha Setty, an intern from Duke University in the United States, established a program that involved training students who would then tutor those in lower grades. The group of tutors consisted of seven motivated students from grade eleven. These students would later work with groups of grade eight students. In addition to revisiting topics pertinent to the grade eight curriculum, the program aimed to help the tutors develop confidence in their abilities. The tutors were also exposed to applications of mathematics to environment issues relevant to Philippi. The tutors were then assigned to groups of grade eight students once classes reconvened.

  
2001: Ashwin Kumar (Purdue University, USA)

In May 2001, Ashwin Kumar, an intern from India studying at Purdue University, began working  with students in grades eight to twelve on topics in Mathematics and Physics. The sessions with grades eight through eleven usually lasted for a couple of hours after school, and focused on fundamental concepts in mathematics. In the case of grade twelve, the emphasis was on preparing the students for the final "matric" examinations. Grade twelve sessions, therefore,  focused on problem-solving techniques.

Analysis of Learner Needs and Responses

  Ashwin Kumar analyses the programme as follows:  The students demonstrated significant enthusiasm and desire to learn. In the case of Mathematics, they have a reasonable grasp of most concepts. However, there exist certain ‘weak links’ which considerably impair their ability to completely solve problems on their own (some examples of these ‘weak links’ in Mathematics are ideas such as the amplitude of functions and the effects of co-ordinate transformations on the graphs of common functions). Focusing on these links will considerably enhance their problem-solving skills and help them develop confidence in their abilities. 

My mathematics sessions attempted to identify some of these 'weak links' by working through representative problems, and then focusing primarily on the concepts themselves to enable a degree of self-sufficiency among the students. Some sessions have also focused on certain applications of these concepts (and, in some cases, background information and derivations which the students have not been exposed to – an example being the relationship between the Pythagorean theorem and trigonometric identities), thus helping the students see how everything fits together. This also helped students explore alternative solution-methods for standard problems. The students have been remarkably receptive to such information.

    Most problems in Physics arise from inability to model physical systems mathematically (for example, in the case of grades eleven and twelve, applications of trigonometry to physics), or solve the resulting mathematical systems. In general, students seemed to understand physics principles quite well. The need to focus on mathematics aspects of physical systems was also emphasized by the science teachers at the school.

    The students will benefit considerably from additional help outside the classroom which focuses on the concepts which they have particular problems with. Working with teachers and students while the material is being taught in the classroom will help identify these issues sooner. It certainly will help to get more students involved in programs such as the one started last year by Harsha Setty, allowing more students to reap benefits from the tutoring. In order to ensure the sustainability of such a self-tutoring program, constant involvement and guidance from teachers and /or interns is necessary.

2002 and Beyond

Unfortunately lack of funding for SAEP's internship programme made it impossible to continue this highly successful tutorial programme in the physical sciences and mathematics in 2002, and no funding is currently available for them in 2003.  Suggestions for funding and other programme resources would be much appreciated.  See CONTACT below.

CONTACT
For more information, contact: 
Norton Tennille, Southern Africa Environment Project (SAEP)
 saep@worldonline.co.za
Tel/fax: 021-685-3431