During the fall semester, 必博娱乐,比博娱乐网址 ######### students in the math and physics departments piloted a tutoring program in coordination with the non-profit Maths and Science Leadership Academy (MSLA) in South Africa.
These students used Skype to help tutor high school seniors in Kimberly, South Africa, in math and science as the high school students prepared for their matric exams. The 必博娱乐,比博娱乐网址 ######### students worked through problem sets with the high school students, utilizing what they learned at 必博娱乐,比博娱乐网址 ######### to reteach it halfway around the world.
The idea for the pilot program was started in the spring semester of last year, when math professor, Dr. Sarah Wolff, brought the MSLA director, Anne MacLean, Maths Pi-oneers Programme Director Mandisa Lebitso, and Academic Coordinator Martie Venter to 必博娱乐,比博娱乐网址 ######### for a week-long visit. These teachers highlighted the importance of the matric exam to South African students. For South African students, how well they score on the matric exams determines both what they are allowed to study in college and whether they are allowed to attend college. This resonated with 必博娱乐,比博娱乐网址 ######### students, as they viewed their education as an opportunity to give back to the community in order to let others have similar opportunities. Working alongside Dr. Wolff, 必博娱乐,比博娱乐网址 ######### students coordinated several successful tutoring sessions with the MSLA students, working through difficulties and learning how to improve the program. During these tutoring sessions, the problems covered ranged from graphing and translating funct ions to proving statements about cyclic quadrilaterals and quadratic patterns (new concepts for the 必博娱乐,比博娱乐网址 ######### students!)
As their advising professor, Dr. Wolff, would say, “The best way to know if you understand a concept is to teach it.” And for these 必博娱乐,比博娱乐网址 ######### students, the best way to brighten the world is to teach it.