In 2012 Global Affairs Canada funded The U of Alberta and Brock University to work with the University of Dodoma to engage in a development project to build capacity for mathematics teaching and learning in rural and remote communities in three regions of Tanzania. Together with the University of Dodoma the Canadian partners focused on developing capacity and awareness among teacher educators from across the education sector on possibilities for locally created and delivered professional development in rural communities. The project was committed to activating the resources that exist in communities that are often thought of as resource challenged. Building on the lessons learned from an International Partnership Development grant from SSRHC we created a project that has come to have people in rural and remote communities asserting "hisabi ni miasha" – mathematics is life/living. In this session we will describe the project and respond to the question, “What possibilities are generated when you design a development project to deliberately invoke complexity?”

Bios:

Dr. Elaine Simmt is the co-Director of the Capacity Development for Mathematics Teaching in Rural and Remote Communities in Tanzania. She works in mathematics education. She began her career as a secondary school teacher of mathematics, chemistry and physics and completed doctoral studies in mathematics education under the supervision of Dr. Tom Kieren. Dr. Simmt also serves as the Director of the Master of Education in Educational Studies (MES) program and the Co-Director of the Centre for Mathematics, Science, and Technology Education.

Dr. Andrew Binde is the co-Director of the Capacity Development for Mathematics Teaching in Rural and Remote Communities in Tanzania and Adjunct Professor in Secondary Education, former Dean, School of Curriculum and Teacher Education, University of Dodoma (UDOM). Currently (2017) teaching courses in Educational Research and supervision of Masters students dissertations/thesis at the University of Dodoma (Tanzania) and MES students under UDOM/UAlberta Agreement. Served as External Examiner for Masters Students (St John’s University Dodoma (2014/2015). Engaged in several consultancy services including Education Quality Improvement Project (2016)- Tanzania and Ministry of Education/GAC (2017) on Teacher Education Support Project. Awarded Certificate of Outstanding Performance for Academic staff by the University of Dodoma (May 2015).

Dr. Florence Glanfield is currently Chair and a Professor in the department. She is an Adjunct professor in the College of Education at the University of Saskatchewan, and an Affiliated Faculty member with the Centre for Research for Teacher Education and Development at the University of Alberta. She earned her PhD in 2003 from the department studying mathematics teacher understanding. Dr. Glanfield is a member of the steering committee for the Capacity Development for Mathematics Teaching in Rural and Remote Communities in Tanzania project.

Dr. Joyce Mgombelo is an Associate Professor of Mathematics Education at Brock University. Her research program focuses on: mathematics cognition; identity; and ethics- based on principles of human cognition. This work is developed from the theoretical perspectives of enactivism, complexity science and psychoanalysis. Mgombelo's most recent work includes the SSHRC funded collaborative research projects, "Educating for the 21st Century: post-secondary students learning ‘progmatics’ (computer programming for mathematical investigation, simulation, and real-world modeling)" and “Advancing research methodology in mathematics education for collective learning systems” as well as the Canada Global Affairs collaborative development project, "Capacity Development for mathematics teaching in rural and remote communities in Tanzania".