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Siyavula

Technology-powered learning

Siyavula’s online Adaptive Practice and open online textbooks answer the need to improve school results in Mathematics and Science. Designed to work on low-end mobile devices, this innovation reaches secondary school students wherever they are.

Spotlight 2021
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Overview

HundrED has selected this innovation to

Formative Assessment: Improving Learning for Every Child

Web presence

2012

Established

2M

Children

3

Countries
Target group
Students lower
Updated
April 2023
“S failed his 1st test dismally. In his next 3 tests he got 45, 45 & 46/50. He came 3rd at our Gr11 awards for Math (1st time he got an award for anything!). Thank you for making this possible” This is a quote from a teacher using our platform. Siyavula's aim is to positively impact as many learners as possible in this way.

About the innovation

Why did you create this innovation?

Siyavula addresses the poor mathematics performance of secondary school students across Africa. OECD analysis has shown that improvements in Mathematics strongly correlate with economic growth. For African youth to thrive in the future world of work, they require access to effective and scalable interventions that will open the doors of opportunity to tertiary studies and in-demand careers.

What does your innovation look like in practice?

Siyavula’s approach enables mastery-based learning through adaptive feedback and formative assessment over existing mobile infrastructure. This initiative provides access to pedagogically-sound content through Siyavula’s world-class software for Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry, which optimises learning via generative questions created by educational specialists. Siyavula’s machine-learning algorithm sequences questions appropriately, and incorporates the latest research into cognitive science and motivation. Students are incentivised to take ownership of their own learning, develop a portfolio of their STEM skills, and acquire digital learning skills while in secondary school. The platform enables students to generate a mastery certificate, and connect their portfolio to post-school opportunities. The online practice is delivered via any internet-enabled device. Partnerships with Pan-African mobile networks allow students access without needing mobile data.

How has it been spreading?

Siyavula provides more than two million secondary school students in Africa access to the adaptive learning software and open online textbooks, to develop their Mathematics and Science skills, and improve school performance. Siyavula presents a curriculum-independent structure for self-study, with localised curricula for South Africa, Nigeria and Rwanda. At the moment, Siyavula is mapping the curriculum in Uganda and Ghana as part of their growth. In addition, Siyavula recently expanded content to include remedial items to address learning backlogs at the transition from primary to secondary school. More recently infrastructure supporting translation of the content into multiple languages has been developed and deployed, including the ability to support code-switching.

If I want to try it, what should I do?

Access the platform via www.siyavula.com. Register for free as either a learner or teacher. For full teacher functionality, contact mark@siyavula.com for verification. Curriculum alignment to any English-speaking country in Africa can be initiated via partnership with the Siyavula Foundation. For more information, contact alexandra@siyavulafoundation.org.

Impact & scalability

Impact & Scalability

Siyavula is an excellent digital platform for students to access STEM content and do practical exercises to master their skills. The immediate feedback that this tool offers helps students adapt their learning journey and become active participants of their assessment. This platform also offers students the possibility to set their own goals and define the steps to reach their own potential.

HundrED Academy Reviews
Highly scalable as it free/open-access, on mobile network and does not require students to have a data connection. Aligns with maths curriculum in 3 African countries to date; this alignment is essential for government buy-in and scale.
An effective approach enhancing maths learning and structured self-study with adaptive learning software and open online textbooks. Continuous data analysis, assessment of learners' experience and external evaluation ensure a quality approach.
- Academy member
Academy review results
High Impact
Low Scalability
High Impact
High Scalability
Low Impact
Low Scalability
Low Impact
High Scalability
Read more about our selection process

Implementation steps

Register
Visit www.siyavula.com and click ‘sign up for a free account’ in the Siyavula for Learners block. Choose ‘Learner’ and choose a method of sign-up. If you choose to sign up using a phone number or email address, complete one or the other, fill in your name and choose a password. Click ‘continue’. Complete the various fields, choose your language and click ‘save details’.
Practise
Choose ‘Practice’ in the menu, then choose your subject and your grade. Choose the topic you have recently covered in class (or a topic you want to master) and click on the title. Do your working out on paper and enter your answers in the blocks provided. Compare your answer to our solution. If you get it wrong, click the “try another exercise like this” button, or move on to the next question.
Set Goals
Set a weekly goal using our weekly goal widget at the top of the page. You can choose the level of effort, with each level requiring a different number of questions to be completed and a different number of mastery stars to be collected each week. Try to achieve these goals every week in order to improve your mastery on the platform.
Plan your journey
Visit our Learner Opportunities page to get information on career guidance and planning, and various post-school opportunities. Knowing where you’re going can help you to plan how to use our system most effectively.

Spread of the innovation

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