Challenges in Teaching Mathematics to Students from Africa

Abstract

International Department of Aleksandras Stulginskis University provides useful information and organizes the introductory lectures, there are still some misunderstandings. It should be noted that foreign students are given a printed compendium of lectures from each topic (approximately for 6 academic hours). The compendium comprises a list of new terms, abbreviations, formulae, the explanations of markings and new symbols as well as solving of tasks. This contributes to a better understanding of the material presented in a foreign language, as well as it is a good material for studying individually. However, in the case of teaching students from Africa the difficulties occur during the very first lecture. Surprisingly it is not the cause of the linguistic barrier, but the simple arithmetic. The initial survey has revealed that foreign students have studied the same topics at school as the students from Lithuania. However, the gaps in knowledge are obvious. Thus the pace of studying becomes slower than it is planned in the programme. Therefore, it is debatable whether native students and students from Africa should have the same study programme of Mathematics (i.e. 6 credits, 84 academic hours of contact work). Meanwhile, students from Nepal are eager to study this subject successfully. They have the sufficient basics of Mathematics. Moreover, they are motivated to study successfully and they are hardworking as well as quick-thinking. These students are also very generous and polite. On the other hand, students from Africa distinguish themselves with such behavioural characteristics that are unconquerable and cause anger as well as disturb the process of studies. These are: students from Africa are constantly being late, they are always trying to find inconvincible reasons for not preparing the tasks on time as well as they are always trying to ask for a better evaluation... The aim of this report is to share the experience and to name the main difficulties and achievements of teaching Mathematics to students from Africa. Lithuanian universities try to compensate the decreasing number of students with students from Asian or African countries. Aleksandras Stulginskis University was offering 9 study programmes for Bachelor’s degree and 10 study programmes for Master’s degree students all of whom were taught in English. We will analyze the work with students who come for the whole period of studies. The Administration of Rural Development is one of the most attractive Bachelor‘s degree study programmes among the foreigners. Since 2012 it has been chosen annually by the students from the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal. It should be noted that the number of students for this speciality was bigger. However, because of the problems related to the administration of documents and visas only half of the students planned have come to Lithuania. Some of the students were late for the beginning of the semester, thus they had extra consultations. By this time there have been four streams of students who have been studying Mathematics in the studies of Administration of Rural Development. The speaker has been working with three streams (excluding the first one). Mathematics is taught in the first semester of the first-year studies. Thus we are the first lecturers who start working with these students. It is a hard period of adaptation which burdens the work of lecturers. Moreover, it is a challenge for students too, as well as the new living conditions, the different cultural environment, climate changes and the different level of knowledge of English. Furthermore, there are some quandaries concerning the duration of lectures and the timetables, and the different buildings where the lectures are conducted. Though the