The purpose of this course is to help teachers in Zanzibar improve their skills in teaching math and coding. We aim to provide teachers with easy-to-use tools and methods to make these subjects engaging and clear for their students. Math and coding are important skills now and in the future. By training teachers, we hope to enhance the quality of math and coding education in Zanzibar. This will help more students understand and enjoy these important subjects, leading to better learning outcomes and new opportunities for their future. This course is one of the training courses organized by the Sino-Africa Youth (SAY) Foundation.
Dr. Shiju Zhang is an Associate Professor at Saint Cloud State University in Minnesota, bringing over 15 years of experience in teaching mathematics, statistics, and coding courses. Alongside his background in research, consulting, and teaching, Dr. Zhang is dedicated to volunteering at a local middle school, where he mentors students interested in math competitions. Outside of his professional and volunteer commitments, Dr. Zhang is passionate about fitness and enjoys playing strategic games such as online chess and bridge. His career goal is to be a well-rounded and inspiring educator who motivates and supports students in their academic and personal growth.
Understand the relevance and applications of math and coding in everyday life and future careers.
Develop a solid understanding of fundamental math concepts.
Learn basic coding concepts and how to write simple programs.
Utilize ChatGPT to assist with math problems and coding questions.
Get hands-on experience with online tools for practicing math and coding.
Basic Arithmetic
Understanding number lines and ordering numbers
Addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division
Geometry Basics
Shapes and their properties (circles, squares, triangles)
Perimeter and area of basic shapes
Fractions and Decimals
Understanding fractions and how to perform basic operations with them
Converting between fractions and decimals
Simple Algebra Concepts
Introduction to variables, functions, and simple equations
Solving basic algebraic equations
Basic Probability Concepts
Experiments, sample space, events
Definition of probability
Basic rules of probability
Computation of simple probability
Basic Statistics Concepts
Numeric summaries of data
Graphical summaries of data
Basic Coding Concepts:
Understanding what coding is and why it is important
Introduction to programming languages (e.g., Python & R)
Writing Simple Programs:
Understanding syntax and structure of code
Writing basic code snippets (e.g., print statements, simple loops, if-else structure)
Basic Data Types and Variables:
Understanding different data types (numeric, character, logic, date, …)
Working with variables and basic data structures
Debugging and Problem-Solving:
Introduction to common coding errors and how to troubleshoot them
Using online tools and ChatGPT to debug and understand code
How to ask effective questions to ChatGPT for math and coding help
Using ChatGPT to review math concepts (Youtube is also good)
Examples of using ChatGPT for solving problems and getting explanations
Generating practice problems and solutions with ChatGPT
Introduction to online coding platforms (e.g., https://posit.cloud, https://www.w3schools.com/r/)
How to use these tools to write and test code
Creating simple Apps using online tools (e.g., building a basic calculator with the help of ChatGPT)
Using R Markdown to generate reproducible reports
Copy this to the following url in Chrome browser and hit Enter: chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://allaboutmaths.aqa.org.uk/attachments/5592.pdf