The First 30 Days of Finding Joy in Mathematics at AMI
From Maths Club to Happy Classrooms
So, what makes math? Isn’t it a formalism of common sense? Basically, it takes the fact that is baked into our thinking about combination to accept the fact that “this” added to “that” is the same as “that” added to “this” and without rules the numbers remain to be the numbers no matter which way they are counted, because there is no way they could possibly be apart from the way they come out. It’s more of leading the learner to understanding the concept. “Beauty is the first test: there is no permanent place in the world for ugly mathematics.” - G. H. Hardy
I’ve been a teacher for a few years, and I really love it. As a teacher, one of the greatest challenges is how to plan and cater for individual learning needs of all students, at the same time, in the same classroom. I believe this challenge can be met by careful management of many students, digital learning lessons and embracing change.
I have had the privilege of joining the African Maths Initiative (AMI) and appreciate the math clubs and math camp activities at the heart of AMI. I have always tried to engage others in these types of activities. I can see their relevance, both in a classroom environment and away from the class.
Having engaged more than 250 students from Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology Main Campus in an anti-corruption, research and advocacy foundation which I helped to co-found, I bring along a people and student management skill set. I also bring my passion and skills in photography to the organisation. My favourite part of getting involved in photography is nature, photography is a great way of connecting with people and nature. Happy people and beautiful places characterise my work
Joining AMI is just a new beginning for me! It's an opportunity to learn from others and to expand my knowledge as far as technology in education is concerned. It is also an opportunity to improve my knowledge and educational gaming skills through the “maths club pack” developed by AMI. The maths club pack is a uniquely-crafted, set of high-quality riddles, games, problems, puzzles, and computer challenges on GeoGebra and Scratch. All in all, this is a list of activities that brings along an interesting mathematical experience that not only inspires careers but also forms part of our life and practice just like a workout and aerobics is to athletics - we must stay mentally active to be healthy!
AMI also runs a project called The Happy Classroom which takes bare and dull classrooms in primary schools and paints the walls with inspiring learning aids for learning math. Engaging in this project has offered me an opportunity to interact with the learners through creating an inspiring environment with accompanying teaching and learning resources for the designs in their happy classroom. It is a mixture of activities, including games, that AMI presents to the young learners in the classroom because children’s games are their most serious-minded activity.
I am looking forward to creating mathematics resources and my professional development, and I am dedicated to promoting the beauty of mathematics at every level. It is possible through AMI to interest and educate in the joys of mathematics – provide clear examples and resources that relate to the ‘real world’ and provide interactive applets for the maths club sessions. An easy way to bring real-life into the maths classroom!
By Samuel Okoth Ogalo
Intern 2019, AMI