Siyakhanyisa Study Support Initiative workshops offer customised solutions for teachers as well as for students of 16 years and older, to address all forms of maths fear: whether it is related to science, technology, or mathematics literacy. You choose which of several modules are most applicable to you and your staff.

Siyakhanyisa workshops do not teach you maths itself - we teach you ways of dealing with your fear and turning it into your best friend. The focus is on the emotional and study skills required to face up to a subject matter and deal with preconceived ideas and personal fears.

Below is a sample of a workshop outline, written for maths literacy teachers; however, we are mindful that your needs may be different.

Please note that due to copyright and patent reasons the author cannot divulge full details on a public webspace. We therefore invite you to contact us for further information and to discuss any restructuring you might require – more emphasis on this and less of that, or perhaps even to modify the content to fit the needs of your envisaged audience.

Maths literacy workshop outline:

  • Introduction: discussion of what the workshop will cover and what the participants' expectations are to make sure they are addressed.
  • Overview of the South African situation.
  • Material and emotional obstacles to enrolling for a maths literacy refresher course.
  • Reasons for enrolling: How will it benefit you to address your fears and enhance your skills?
  • Neurological explanations and validation of a maths fear
  • Breakaway session to conduct informal experiments
  • Legitimisating maths fear and its effect on maths performance
  • Debunking mathematical and general procrastionation myths
  • Conquering maths fear with 10 strategies that work
  • How to take action NOW for future success
  • What other parts of your life could you generalise the lesson to?
  • Feedback and references to further reading and support
Current and previous workshops for high school students have contained activities to address the following concerns directly:
  • Briefing on how fear affects maths performance (memory, focus, concentration and accuracy) to reassure the students that the problem is NOT with their ability to maths. If they are willing to follow some simple steps, the fear will recede and they will be able to concentrate on the work.
  • Relaxation and other exercises to control fear in a classroom or examination situation.
  • Some very engaging and emotional examples of the  consequences of being mathematically illiterate as an adult (being unable to escape abuse in the workplace or in one's marriage, and how maths literacy creates employability and empowerment).
  • A large selection of bursary sources (printouts from bursary sites) to help the students to realise that the help is out there; anyone who wants to go to  university, CAN. This has been thoroughly reseached from many universities and students need to be made available that the opportunities are out there. They only have to do their bit and bring in a decent grade (in either MATHS  or MATHS LITERACY).
  • Role plays on asking the teacher for help (with props for humourous effect)
  • Assertiveness exercises on dealing with, for example, noisy siblings or insistent boyfriends.
  • A look at self-sabotaging study behaviour and how to combat it.
  • Emphasis on current research to show students that neither gender nor ethnicity is a reason not to do well in maths; a quick explanation of how the psychologists got it all wrong!
  • a little bit of ethomathematics and mathematical history here and there as refreshment tidbits, so to speak, to add flavour to the presentation and help local kids take pride in their heritage
  • How maths geniuses are grown (light-hearted but something to think about)
  • Animal maths (yes, animals can do some amazing mathematical feats, and especially since they dont worry about it. They just get on with what they have to do).
  • Power points on how to concentrate better and on how to read maths word problems correctly.
  • Projection exercises on where you want to be in five years time, and making Plans A and B to get there!
  • Some querying about common emotional and developmental issues to do with studying (for example being the first in the family to matriculate; family criticisms unfair, perhaps resentment at having to support extended family for many years  to 'repay' study fees, etc. This bit is wide open to whatever the students want to raise.

For enquiries about workshop bookings, please print out this registration form, fill in and fax back to 086 694 8092. We will contact you to confirm your requirements.

"The essence of mathematics is not to make simple things complicated, but to make complicated things simple." - S. Gudder