The Maker Movement in education is moving into Senegal, with the type of meaningful learning that can translate conceptual understanding of math and science into real life application. What a world we can build, if education gives students the tools to actively change the world they live in!

Arame Coumba Dieng testing a robot’s mobility with her team from the Lycée de Thiaroye. Credit Sam Phelps for The New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/30/world/africa/a-mission-to-bring-stem-skills-to-children-in-west-africa.html?emc=edit_th_20160530&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=74112179&_r=0

Dr. Ndao said the schools sometimes emphasized rote memorization rather than focusing on contextual learning. Students do not connect theories they learn with practical experiences, he argued.
“We have kids brought in from math and science schools, and when they see an airplane flying, they think it’s magic,” Dr. Ndao said. “But if you give them any math problem, they can solve it.”