Brombacher & Associates

about brombacher

Brombacher and Associates is an education support company that specialises in the areas of Mathematics and Mathematical Literacy from primary school to college level.

We work in three key areas:

·Training: We support and train teachers and college lecturers to teach Mathematics and Mathematical Literacy.

·Materials development: We develop teaching support materials and curriculum to meet the requirements of our clients and their setting.

·Research: We conduct research for our clients on interventions and/or the state of teaching/learning in contexts and make recommendations on improvements.

Our clients include: departments of education (both national and provincial); non-government organisations (NGOs); universities; schools and colleges and education foundations to name a few.

Numeracy Handbook for Foundation Phase Teachers

The Department of Basic Education has recently made available via the internet a handbook entitled: Numeracy Handbook for Foundation Phase Teachers Grades R-3. The Handbook can be downloaded by clicking here (click here) or here (click here). The Handbook was commissioned by the Department of Basic Education and written by Aarnout Brombacher with support from a number of colleagues (see below).
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Number Sense Workbooks

3 workbooklets In January 2010 the B & A Team launched its fabulous new Number Sense Workbook series.

The workbook series has been developed to support Foundation Phase teachers who work with small groups of children at a time (on the mat). These teachers need activities that will keep the rest of the class productively engaged in meaningful tasks that mirror the work being done in small groups on the mat.

The workbooks could also be used by parents at home as they try to support their child's early mathematical development.

The workbooks focus on the development of a strong number sense.

The workbooks have been designed to support children as they develop from Level 1 (counting all) to Level 2 (counting on) and Level 3 (breaking down and buidling up).

The workbooks are aligned (in terms of Grade appropriate number ranges and problem types) to the South African National Curriculum Statement (NCS).

Mathematical Literacy & Mathematics Examination Exemplars

Exam Q&A Sunday Times The Sunday Times, in conjunction with the Learning Channel and the Department of Basic Education has since 2009 published an annual Q&A supplement of exemplar Senior Certificate Examinations. The supplement contains Senior Certificate Exemplar papers (endorsed by the DoBE (click here for the DoBE media statement)) in a range of Senior Certificate subjects. The Mathematical Literacy Papers published in the supplement in both 2009 and 2010 were developed by Aarnout Brombacher. The Mathemats Papers published in the supplement in both 2009 and 2010 were developed by Brombacher and Associates. The papers can be downloaded from the Sunday Times (click here) or follow the read more link below.

Exam walkthru The 2009 exemplar papers are also being sold by the Learning Channel as part of their Exam Walktru series. The Exam Walktru series incorporates DVDs in which qualified Grade 12 teachers “walk you thru” each of the exemplar examination papers. In the DVDs for Mathematical Literacy, Aarnout Brombacher takes the viewer through the exemplar papers clearly demonstrating, step-by-step, the methodology required and the best way to achieve the correct answers. For more information about the series go to the Learning Channel website (click here).

Financial Mathematics – a critical exploration

With the news full of stories about people losing their savings to Ponzi (pyramid) schemes; going on strike (despite the financial consequences to themselves); playing the Lotto with the hope of instant wealth; and having their cars, homes and other possessions repossesed, we should ask the question: What is the role of Mathematical Literacy in developing financial acumen?

On Saturday 5 September Aarnout Brombacher contributed to the fifth annual Marang workshop on Mathematical Literacy for teachers.On Saturday 12 September, Aarnout presented a similar workshop at the Mathematics Centre of St Andrew's College (SAC) and The Diocesan School For Girls (DSG) in Grahamstown.

The Excel spreadsheet used to explore the parameters in loan and investment situations can be downloaded here: (click here).

The handout for this activity can be downloaded here:(click here).

To access some of the handouts and other spreadsheet models used in the SAC/DSG workshop click on the "Read more..." link below.

GeoGenius

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Brombacher and Associates launches its fabulous GeoGenius construction kit.
Using our brightly coloured, precision manufactured, sturdy cardboard shapes and the elastic bands supplied you can easily assemble an enormously wide range of objects.

This kit is ideal for use in classrooms from Grade 2 to Grade 12 and beyond in which shapes (polygons), objects (polyhedron) and their properties are being studied.

For more information please clisk here to download a press release (download press release). To order a kit please click here (download order form).

For more pictures of objects constructed using the kit click on the "read more" link below, to visit the GeoGenius website click here (go to GeoGenius).

Assessment and remediation of the pre-requisite knowledge and skills for Mathematical Literacy

During April 2008 Brombacher and Associates ran a four-day workshop for FET College lecturers on the assessment and remediation of the pre-requisite knowledge and skills assumed to be necessary for students to be able to study Mathematical Literacy. The workshop, presented by Aarnout Brombacher and Marc North,was attended by one lecturer from each of the 50 FET Colleges.

The workshop focussed on the use of pre-tests to determine the knowledge and skills that college students have at the start of the programme and on the teaching of the necessary knowledge and skills in those cases where the students do not have these.

Click on the "read more" link below to access the pre-test and remediation materials developed for the workshop as well as the powerpoint slide shows that supported the teaching these could be used by college lecturers in their remediation efforts.

IEB Mathematical Literacy User Group Conference

On Saturday 23 February 2008, Aarnout Brombacher was invited to deliver a plenary address to the IEB Mathematical Literacy User Group Conference in Johannesburg. In his address "What does it mean to be mathematically literate?" Aarnout explored the demands experienced by self-managing individuals; contributing workers; critical citizens and life-long learners in a number and data-drenched world.

Follow the "read more" link below to access the papers delivered by Aarnout at the conference.

In-service courses for Numeracy and Mathematics Teachers

CTLI logo

The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) has in 2010 again awarded Brombacher and Associates a contract to present two In-service course for Senior Phase Mathematics Teachers at the Cape Teaching and Leadership Institute (CTLI). Brombacher and Associates has presented (Foundation Phase, Intermediate Phase and Senior Phase) in-service training courses for the WCED at the CTLI since 2003. Each course is four weeks long and runs over two blocks of two weeks each. Up to 56 teachers participate in each course.

Participants on the course must follow the "read more" link below to access their computer task.

Numeracy Courses for Learning Support Teachers

81 shared among 3 children During October and November of 2007, Brombacher and Associates presented three one-week courses for Learning Support Teachers from across the Western Cape for the WCED.

Among other influences, the course draws strongly on the contents of the book: Adding it Up, Helping Children Learn Mathematics.

To find a link to the Adding it Up download page and/or to read more about the course and/or to download the NCS (GET) Learning Outcomes in A3 format follow the "read more" link below.

Mathematics and Mathematical Literacy Examinations Exemplar Booklet

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With financial support from Old Mutual, Brombacher and Associates have recently developed a booklet of exemplar examination papers for the Department of Education. The booklet contains end-of-year examinations for both Mathematics and Mathematical Literacy for Grades 10 to 12.

The booklet (2MB in .pdf format) can be downloaded by clicking alongside (download booklet). To download individual papers and/or memorandums follow the "read more" link below.

NC(V) Level 3 Training

October, November and December 2007 saw more than 150 FET College Lecturers attending training courses presented by Brombacher and Associates across the country (Pretoria; Uitenhage; Durban and Cape Town). These courses dealt with the planning, teaching and assessing of Mathematical Literacy as a fundamental for the National Certificate (Vocational) programmes being offered at FET Colleges. Some of the teaching resources used during the training as well as planning materials provided in hard copy during the course can be downloaded here in electronic format. Follow the "read more" link below to download these files and/or to access other resources.