Working together for excellence in mathematics education in Windhoek and Rotterdam



The partners in collaboration:
  • Windhoek College of Education,
  • Hermann Gmeiner primary school, Windhoek,
  • Education Department of Rotterdam University of applied sciences.

The cooperation between Windhoek College of Education and Rotterdam University for applied sciences concerns:
  • School management, 
  • Community schools, 
  • English, 
  • Realistic mathematics.



The cooperation agreement was signed in October 2008 by Emma Kirchner, rector of Windhoek College of Education and Fred Feuerstake, director of the Education Department of Rotterdam University for applied sciences.






Intentions of the Windhoek College of Education in the cooperation: 
  • International cooperation and exchange of knowledge, students and lecturers,
  • Refresh en strengthen the mathematics curriculum by introduction of effective ‘teaching-learning strategies’,
  • Enriching the educational concept of Learner Centred Education (Nied) with teaching-learning strategies of the Realistic mathematics concept of teaching and education,
  • Application of consistency between the math programs of the Lower Primary and the Upper Primary.




Intentions of the Hermann Gmeiner primary school in the cooperation:
  • Introduction of effective learning-teaching strategies in teaching mathematics,
  • Increasing the performance of pupils in maths.



Intentions of the Education Department of Rotterdam University of applied sciences in the cooperation: 

  • International cooperation and exchange of knowledge, students and lecturers,
  • Creating a rich learning environment for students of the mathematics minor,
  • Organizing subject-specific guidance for students during their internship in Namibia,
  • Reflecting on their own concept of education as a result of new teaching situations abroad.


Characteristics of the two didactical concepts:

Learner Centered Education:
  • Starting point is the learners’ existing knowledge,
  • Learning from pair and group activities,
  • Learning by doing,
  • Learning from the learners’ experiences,
  • Trial-and-error learning.
  • Learning from useful materials,
 
Realistic Mathematics Education:
  • Learning in contexts,
  • Using models and schematic notation,
  • Learning by using structured materials,
  • Interactive,
  • Deloping your own math strategies,
  • Teaching in learning- teaching-trajectories,
  • Entanglement of learning- teaching-trajectories.

Mathematical topics:

Pre-school maths,
Basic skills:
  • Calculation up to 20, addition and subtraction, 
  • Calculation up to 100, addition and subtraction,
  • Calculation up to 100, multiplication and division,
  • Calculation up to 1000, addition, subtraction, multiplication and division,
Mental arithmetic and smart calculation,
Fractions,
Ratios,
Geometry,
Measurement.






Methods and experiences:  

Working with Windhoek College of Education:
Attending mathematics lessons,     
Lecturing for students of LP and UP: mental arithmetic and smart calculation, calculation up to 20, teaching the times tables, to practice measurement, fractions in context, calculating up to 100 with structured materials.
Consultation with colleagues of the WCE and the RU: the math currriculum, guidance of Rotterdam students in Windhoek, exchange of ideas and learning materials by internet.


Working with Hermann Gmeiner primary school: 
Attending mathematics lessons, 
Teaching learners in grade 1, 2, 5 and 6: number concept in a rich context, calculation up to 20, smart calculation: adding, subtracting and multiplying. 
Lecture about the didactic concepts of Realistic Mathematics Education, lecture about calculating fractions in context.


















Teaching number concept in a rich context:  'The story of the lost button' and the math problem of  'The jacket without buttons'.





















Multiplication strategies:
smart calculation 7 x 39 = 7 x 30 + 7 x 9 or
7 x 39 = 7 x 40  - 7 x 1
or use the multiplication algorithm.


Targets in the project:
  • Continuing exchange of people and ideas,
  • The new math curriculum of WCE will be arranged in continuous learning-teaching-trajectories and will be based on two concepts: LCE and RME. 
  • The learners of the Hermann Gmeiner primary school will attain a significant increase of the math achievements.
  • The teachers of the Hermann Gmeiner primary school will share the concepts of LCE and RME with teacher teams of other primary schools in Windhoek.