CANP/ EDIMATHS Press Release Mali 2011
Developing mathematics teacher educators for the sub-region of Francophone West Africa
As part of the Capacity and Networking Project (CANP), a workshop called EDIMATHS is taking place in Mali, from the 19th – 30th September 2011 at the University of Bamako.
The programme has 40 participants, approximately half from Mali and the rest from Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Niger and Senegal.
The workshop has received funding through UNESCO, ICMI, IMU, CIMPA, SCAC/Bamako, the Ministre de l'Éducation, de l'Alphabétisation et des Langues Nationales and the Ministre de l'Enseignement Supérieur et de la Recherche Scientifique du Mali. The areas addressed will include:
- Mathematics at the heart of secondary education: numbers, geometry (plan and space), algebra, taking into account the curricular progressions and the didactics of mathematics.
- Issues of common interest to the educators of the region e.g. teaching in multi-lingual contexts, the transition between the first and second cycles of basic education and the relationship between mathematical content and useful mathematical competence in the curricula.
CANP is the major development initiative of the International Commission for Mathematical Instruction (ICMI). It aims to provide regional development for mathematics teacher educators, enhancing the mathematical and pedagogical potential of the region. It will contribute to the growth of a regional professional community involving mathematicians, educationalists, teachers and institutions. A central question in CANP/ EDIMATHS is how to move towards a regionally distinct and appropriate teaching mode that meets the requirements of contemporary mathematics education, that is, a mode that is more communicative and involves more student participation.
CANP also provides an opening to introduce contemporary mathematics to teachers and educators. It is also an opportunity to experience technological resources and their potential in the classroom and in teacher education. Finally, the gathering of regional educators will compare the systems of mathematics teaching and teacher education in the different countries of the region, and will discuss the challenges and strategies met. CANP combines plenary sessions (courses, synthesis) and group work (tutorials, workshops, discussion groups). Satellite activities to a wider audience will also be organised. CANP/EDIMATHS is organised by a team of international and regional mathematicians and educators.
The workshop will create a website that will maintain the connection between participants and extend the collaborative work that was developed. It will also record the synthesis in the training of teachers in the countries concerned.
For more information on CANP please go here or contact
Lena Koch: icmi.administrator@mathunion.org