Africa Meets Africa (AmA) is a curriculum developed by Jackie Scheiber and Helene Smuts in South Africa to help students from rural, tribal areas connect to rigorous mathematics by exploring traditional art making methods as embodied, visible examples of mathematics concepts. The University of Utah’s International & Area Studies program is bringing the Africa Meets Africa project to Utah from August 15 – October 12, 2016. The CSME is collaborating on a variety of events related to AmA:
UPCOMING EVENTS
Teacher Workshop for Secondary Math and Art Teachers
October 8 – Africa meets Africa: Interactive Teacher Workshop. This free opportunity for professional learning credit hours will be presented by Jackie Scheiber and Helene Smuts from 9am-4pm at the Utah Cultural Celebration Center (1355 W 3100 S, West Valley City, UT). Space is limited and registration is required. Contact Jessica.dwyer@utah.edu by October 1 to register.
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What will happen?
Secondary Math and Art teachers are invited to a day of mathematical exploration through art-making. Celebrated cross-cultural curriculum builders Jackie and Helene will lead a morning session of the South Sotho-inspired beadwork, followed by an afternoon of secondary mathematics principles that are modeled in the beadwork.
Who should attend?
Secondary Math and Art teachers interested in authentic integration of components of culture into required core content (and vice versa).
What is Africa meets Africa?
Helene Smuts founded the Africa meets Africa project during an era of social change in South Africa following the country’s historic democratic elections of 1994. Jackie Scheiber is the developer of the Africa meets Africa mathematics curricula which explore the mathematical ideas among the traditional arts of various South African ethnic groups. Their books and films connect visual language to learning, taking the fear out of dealing with mathematical concepts while simultaneously honoring students’ cultural heritage.[/expand]
Keynote Presentations
October 3 – Africa meets Africa: Art, Math and the Culturally Inclusive Classroom. This Keynote lecture by Helene Smuts and Jackie Scheiber will take place at 6pm at the Salt Lake City Public Library, Nancy Tessman Auditorium (210 East 400 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84111).
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Africa meets Africa was founded 15 years ago, first aiming to document aging master artists and their work in rural southern Africa. These artists described their working method – the relationship between eye, hand, thinking, and counting – leading to a learning methodology now yielding positive results in rural high school arts and math classrooms.
Helene Smuts founded the Africa meets Africa project during an era of social change in South Africa following the country’s historic democratic elections of 1994. Jackie Scheiber is the developer of the Africa meets Africa mathematics curricula which explore the mathematical ideas among the traditional arts of various South African ethnic groups. Their books and films connect visual language to learning, taking the fear out of dealing with mathematics concepts while simultaneously honoring students’ cultural heritage.
Helen and Jackie will share their work and invite you to brainstorm how you could start doing similar work in your classroom and community.[/expand]
October 5 – Africa meets Africa: Art, Math and the Culturally Inclusive Classroom. This Keynote lecture by Helene Smuts and Jackie Scheiber will take place at 2pm at the University of Utah in CTIHB 109 (215 South Campus Drive, Salt Lake City, UT 84112). This will be the same presentation as the one given on October 3.
[expand title=”click for more information”]
Africa meets Africa was founded 15 years ago, first aiming to document aging master artists and their work in rural southern Africa. These artists described their working method – the relationship between eye, hand, thinking, and counting – leading to a learning methodology now yielding positive results in rural high school arts and math classrooms.
Helene Smuts founded the Africa meets Africa project during an era of social change in South Africa following the country’s historic democratic elections of 1994. Jackie Scheiber is the developer of the Africa meets Africa mathematics curricula which explore the mathematical ideas among the traditional arts of various South African ethnic groups. Their books and films connect visual language to learning, taking the fear out of dealing with mathematics concepts while simultaneously honoring students’ cultural heritage.
Helen and Jackie will share their work and invite you to brainstorm how you could start doing similar work in your classroom and community.[/expand]
ADDITIONAL EVENTS
The CSME is working with event organizers to coordinate additional AmA activities, including a session with teachers at Mana Academy, a guest lecture with a UofU linguistics class, and an interactive teacher workshop. Other events include:
August 15 – October 12 – Exhibit: Africa Meets Africa. Math curriculum and traditional South African artwork on display at the Utah Cultural Celebration Center.
September 13-14 – Artrageous event. K-12 classes explore the Africa Meets Africa exhibit and participate in a math-centric beading activity as they examine Ndebele art objects.
For more information, please contact us.