1. Daily Newsletter 17th AMESA Congress, 11 to 15 July 2011
Issue 1: Monday 11 July 2011
WELCOME AND AN APOLOGY MEAL TIMES
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The Local Organising Committee welcomes you to the 17 Lunch will be served in the Highfield Dining Room, which
AMESA Congress. is next to the Women’s Residence.
We apologise for any problems you may have had with In order to accommodate the over 1 000 delegates, the
registration. The campus was without electricity for 2 ½ caterers have requested that those delegates who can go
weeks (from 13 June to 29 June), just when we should to lunch early, should please do so.
have been our busiest with conference organisation.
LUNCH: 11:00 to 14:00 on Monday, Tuesday,
With no electricity we had no computers and no fax Thursday and Friday. On Wednesday a packed lunch will
machines. This has meant that the capturing of names in be served.
the data base was only completed on Friday 8 July. The
late capturing of names has meant that name tags, meal For those of you staying in residence, breakfast and
tickets, etc were all delayed. supper will be served in the Highfield Dining Room.
Breakfast: 06:30 to 08:30 every day.
In the last few days we have also discovered that, during Dinner: 17:00 to 19:00 every day.
the power outage, people had faxed registration forms
and deposit slips showing proof of payment to the AMESA
office, and that these hadn’t been received on our side. ADDITIONS AND CHANGES TO THE
Please be patient with us as we try to sort out this PROGRAMME
problem. NEW VENUE – B250 (on the second floor of the Bohlaleng
We have tried our best in the 1½ weeks since the power Block) has been added to the venues being used.
came on, and hope that everything will be sorted out by MONDAY :
Tuesday morning. 14:15 – 15:15: (TE LP) The correct title of Patricia
Nalube’s Long Paper is “Student teachers’ orientations to
Added to these problems was the large number of people
who arrived at the conference without registering participation in a discourse of engaging with learner
beforehand, and then expecting accommodation, meal mathematical thinking: a focus on error” – BU229
tickets, a conference bag, a programme and proceedings, 15:15 – 16:15: (IP WS) Theresa Colliton’s workshop
and then being very upset when they couldn’t be “Making sense of integer operations has been moved to
registered and accommodated immediately. On behalf of Friday from 09:00 – 10:00 in Room – BU229
ALL conference committees, we beg every one of you to TUESDAY :
register BEFORE the conference. 08:00 – 09:00: (IP & SP MM) Business Data
So, if you still need a name tag please go to the Communications: “Multiplication” – Louise Brown has
Information Room (Room B4) on TUESDAY MORNING, and been moved to Friday 08:00 – B250
things should be sorted out by then. 08:00 – 10:00: (SP&FET MM) Creative Learning Systems:
The Local Organising Committee “Using Autograph” – Lyn Pollock Computer Lab B251 –
new presentation
YOUR NAME TAG 08:00 – 10:00: (All MM) Casio: “Casio Scientific
Your name tag is your ticket to the congress dinners and Calculators” – Mirriam Mafojane – venue changed to
outings, so DON’T LOSE it, as we cannot replace it. If, B250.
however, there are errors on your name tag, please bring WEDNESDAY :
it to the Information Desk on TUESDAY morning, and a 12:00 – 13:00: (FET MM) The Answer Series: “Grade 10 to
new one will be made for you. 12 CAPS – 2012, what will be different?” – Anne Eadie – –
B250 – new presentation
DAILY PROGRAMME THURSDAY :
We will publish changes to the programme in the daily 08:00 – 09:00: (FET LP) The correct title of Roger
newsletter which should be out by morning tea time each MacKay’s Long Paper is “An examination of pupils’ past
day, so always check these changes before finalising what performances on computational-type and proof-type
you are going to attend. geometry problems – a pilot study” – BU 229
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2. FRIDAY : The booking form has been placed on the door of B7 for
09:00 – 10:00: (SP & FET WS) Said Sima and Femi people to book a slot. Please be aware that activities will
Otulaja’s workshop “Flavouring Mathematics: Learning be happening here all week and come and join in.
the multiple behaviours and relationships of a number The Activity Centre is found in Room B12. Here you
beyond its singular (primary) nomenclature” has been will be introduced to creative materials and methods for
moved to Monday from 15:15 to 16:15 teaching our maths curriculum. The Activity Centre caters
for all ages and Phases, so pay it a visit to learn new ways
to keep learners actively and mathematically engaged in
PHOTOGRAPHER the classroom.
The congress photographer, HP van Zyl, will be taking
photographs every day of events happening at the Our exhibitors will be doing presentations on their
congress. He is also available to take pictures of the products and services in the Maths Market. The Maths
delegates – either as you are presenting, or maybe with a Market presentation are marked MM in the programme,
group of friends. All photos will be put on a CD and so please include their talks in your daily plan of which
posted to you after the congress at a cost of R50 per CD, presentation to attend.
including postage. Order forms are available either from We have 24 tables of exhibitors on the Ground Floor of
HP or from the Information Desk in Room B4. When he is the Bohlaleng Block, so please pay them a visit and learn
not taking photos, HP will be at the Information Desk. more about their products.
SOCIAL PROGRAMME DAILY COMPETITION
If you have booked for the Welcome Dinner, please have Each day of the Congress, a new competition question will
your meal in the Highfield Dining Room, and then move be published in the Daily Newsletter. Solutions must be
over to the Linder Auditorium where you will be handed in before the time listed in the competition.
entertained by Please remember to write your name, school and province
 The St Stithians String Ensemble and Choir on your solution. Winners of some wonderful prizes will
 The Muka Gospel Choir be announced at the Closing Ceremony
 The Marimba Band of Barnato Park High School
MONDAY COMPETITION
Suppose you are wearing a T-shirt with the initials BJ
on the front. What will be the position of the BJ if
COMPUTER ACCESS you turn the shirt inside out and put it back on with
We have organised for all delegates to the conference to
your left arm in the right armhole and your right arm
have free computer access. If you registered in time, your
in the left armhole?
user-name will be on your name tag. Use this user-name
when attending computer lab sessions and also if you Submit your solution to the Information Desk by
want to use the computers in Room L251 to check your Tuesday morning @ 10:30.
emails. Please note that L251 is only available for
FRIDAY COMPETITION
personal use if it is not being used for a computer session.
Spend the next few days looking at geometric shapes
Your user-name will be of the form Amesa.user xxx. around the Wits Education Campus.
Note that it is not necessary for the “A” to be a capital GET: Submit a list of as many different 2D and 3D
letter. EVERYONE’S password is Pass.word123. Note shapes that you have seen on the campus, and
that the first letter MUST be a capital letter. describe exactly where you saw these shapes.
FET: Submit a list of as many 2D shapes, 3D shapes
The fringe, the Activity Centre, and functions/graphs (straight line, parabola,
the Maths Market and our exhibitors sine graphs, etc) that you have seen on the
campus and describe exactly where you saw
The fringe venue (B7) is available for anyone who
these shapes.
would like to repeat their presentations, or maybe start a
discussion group, or maybe even do a presentation that Submit your solution to the Information Desk by
was not submitted for reviewing. Thursday @ 15:30.
Funders not listed in the Programme
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