With the recent #FeesMustFall campaign, a new focus was placed on online and blended teaching to make Education more affordable and accessible to all. In the digital age we are living in, this concept is gathering momentum worldwide and means you can live anywhere in the world, even a small town somewhere in the Karoo, and follow a Harvard online course! 

The online South African mathematics website, YouCanDoMaths, falls squarely into this category. With this website you can study high school mathematics wherever or whenever you want to, you can study at your own pace (the best way to learn mathematics) and you can join an important trend around the world that is encouraging diligent and independent learners.  The website can be accessed on any computer, laptop, tablet or smartphone (Android or iOS), as long as you have an internet connection.

YCDM is fully South African and CAPS aligned and has been authored by teachers who are experienced in both the teaching of mathematics and the development of digital mathematics. It is designed for South African schools writing the NSC or IEB exams, so there is no need for searching or sifting through mathematics lessons from around the world - you just need to follow the list of lessons from top to bottom! Each lesson consists of a video, notes, test and fully worked out answers which become available once the test has been completed. The test score is recorded in a progress report. Depending on the method of registering, the parent or guardian also has access to the learner’s progress report, an ideal way to be involved with a child’s learning and development.

Due to popular demand, YCDM is launching grade 8 and 9 at the beginning of 2017. According to the developers, these lessons will be extremely popular because they cover the basics of high school mathematics in great detail - the basics which many learners in the higher grades have forgotten or have never really grasped completely. One of the reasons why people struggle with mathematics is because of its hierarchical nature, i.e. they fall behind because of gaps in their knowledge. This is why, when registering to use the website, all clients get access to all the grades.

The grade 10 – 12 lessons have been available since 2012 and have proved to be extremely useful and valuable to learners. In the words of one client: “Once again I cannot thank you enough for your most invaluable service. Without you my daughter would not have been able to maintain her A symbol in maths.”

For grades 10 - 12, there are also special Revision Lessons which quickly summarise a section. These are perfect to use before a test or exam. There are also Revision Tests which are basically mini exams with 3 different levels: easy, medium and difficult. The program therefore caters for learners who struggle with mathematics as well as for those who want to maintain or improve their marks. There are also plans to add Revision lessons and tests to grades 8 and 9.

YCDM is also involved with schools, giving them the opportunity to buy subscriptions in bulk at a reduced cost. From 2017, YCDM will add a new school facility whereby teachers can register classes and in that way have easy access to the progress reports of all their learners. Teachers can either use YCDM directly in the classroom for teaching or they can use the “flipped classroom concept” where learners do the lessons at home, and homework and discussions are done in the classroom.

The cost for using YCDM ranges from R200 per month, if paying monthly, to as little as R90 per month, if paying for a year in advance. Schools bulk prices are even lower than this.

YCDM is also fully available in Afrikaans.

Although YCDM is an excellent mathematics program, it is important for learners to understand learning mathematics involves dedication and lots of hard work. There are also times when facts need to be learned, so it is not only about understanding. This is why YCDM believes that with the correct attitude and hard work, you CAN do maths!