Edendale Technical High School (KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education)

HeyMath! Lessons = Deeper Conceptual Understanding

Edendale Technical High School was founded in 1956 and is situated in a large Pietermaritzburg township. Their mission is to be a school of excellence. The school motto, khuthala uthuthuke, encourages learners to be hard workers and achieve more, not only for their own benefit but for the good of the local community. Edendale Tech, part of the National Dinaledi project, has been implementing innovative solutions to improve outcomes in Mathematics and Science. The school was chosen by the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Department of Education to be part of a 3 year project that was launched by Premier Dr. Zweli Mkhize in August 2009. This is their story.

The Approach

1. HeyMath! has a full library of content with rich and engaging pedagogy - completely aligned to the NCS curriculum and mapped to the KZN work schedule. This makes life easier for educators in lesson planning and dispels the fear of Maths for learners.
2. HeyMath! ran 3 intensive professional development sessions for teachers of Edendale. Through hands on training, they learnt how to effectively use the HeyMath! program. In addition, there was also an extra focus on key content for Matric exam preparation.
3. HeyMath! is designed for classroom teaching. The digital resources complement traditional teaching methods leading to deeper conceptual understanding and stronger retention of ideas.
4. Targeted exam preparation using HeyMath! better prepares learners for their school leaving examinations.

"There is never a boring class [with HeyMath!]" - Grade 8 Educator

South African contexts make concepts relevant

Teachers say the immediate impact is

• Using HeyMath! for reinforcing and revision has led to deeper conceptual understanding in learners.
• HeyMath! is helping educators prepare lessons.
• HeyMath! is building confidence and excitement among learners.
• HeyMath! makes classes more exciting.
• HeyMath! is having a big impact in large classes. It makes monitoring the learners easier and setting HeyMath! worked examples for homework saves time on marking.

The 12 month goals (end of 2010)

• More Mathematics Matric passes in 2010.
• Structured teaching with HeyMath! and lesson plans to be shared among Maths educators.

The 3 year goals (end of 2012)

• 20 distinctions in the 2012 Matric examinations.
• Maths lessons that integrate key skills like reading and listening in the English language.
• A stronger willingness to embrace technology among all educators and learners.

"[Because of HeyMath!] the students are interested, in the corridors and everywhere in the school they talk about Mathematics, which is absolutely awesome."

"HeyMath! have provided top resources." - School Principal

HeyMath! is aligned to the South African NCS curriculum

• Covers all topics in Grades 3-12
• Helps achieve assessment goals as per FFL campaign
• Resources have been customized to local South African contexts
• Specialized focus on Matric Exam preparation
• Continuous content upgrades based on feedback from educators and subject advisors