Our students are at various levels in terms of their learning skills and abilities, but on average they are very enthusiastic about learning Mathematics.  They are even more motivated when we use technology in the classrooms. I first used GeoGebra in my class when we were plotting graphs and the pupils found it fascinating.

Internet connection is not very reliable in our country, that is another reason why GeoGebra is a great educational tool, as it can be used offline. Low bandwidth, high cost of connection and access to computers are the main challenges we face .

In addition to desktops, a number of tutors now have laptops and 8 of our 56 members  of academic staff have recently been given tablets by one of our cooperating partners.  So we are now starting to teach with tablets but only at a very small scale (see picture below in my Math class, I am the first one on the right)

In our computer laboratory for students, we have forty work stations. For my class of an average of 45 this is manageable. However, the computer-student ratio for all the institution is still a problem as it now stands at 1:10.

I must mention as well that I am still in the process of learning how to use GeoGebra and I would be happy to learn more from members of the GeoGebra community.

We would be happy to cooperate with other GI-s, please  contact us at:

http://wiki.geogebra.org/en/GeoGebra_Institute_of_Chalimbana

Mathematics class at Chalimbana University learning Maths on a tablet

Gerrit has given about 40 workshops all over  South-Africa since the establishment of the GeoGebra Institute in 2009. Many education ministry officials and math-teachers from Gauteng, Limpopo regions and the Free State have attended these workshops.

Based on his long teaching experience he has compiled an easy-to-follow GeoGebra 4.2 manual (based on the school curriculum), which you can download from the geogebra tube: http://www.geogebratube.org/material/show/id/39024. This manual has short YouTube video illustrations of each section.

Gerrit has also written articles evaluating his teaching experience, you can download his research results here:

• Stols, G.H. (2012). Does the use of technology make a difference in pre-service teachers’ geometric cognitive growth? Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 28(7), 1233-1247. (ISSN: 1449-5554 & impact factor: 1.655)   http://www.ascilite.org.au/ajet/ajet28/stols.pdf
• Stols, G.H. &Kriek, J. (2011). Why don’t all maths teachers use dynamic geometry software in their classrooms? Australian Journal of Educational Technology, 27(1), 137-151. (ISSN: 1449-5554 & impact factor: 1.278) http://www.ascilite.org.au/ajet/ajet27/stols.html