Archive – Page 2 – IDEMS International Community Interest Company (CIC)

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235 – An Update on The CBC Open Textbooks Project

February 10, 2026

David interviews Michael Obiero on the challenges of implementing Kenya’s new Grade 10 Competency-Based Curriculum, such as resource shortages and unprepared teachers. To address these issues, they are developing digital resources, online courses, and a teacher support platform. Their grassroots initiative aims to create community-driven, context-sensitive solutions with the help of volunteers and limited funding. By fostering peer-to-peer learning and collaboration among teachers, they seek to build a sustainable model for adapting educational resources to various contexts and improving math education outcomes.

234 – Data Collectors as a Source of Variability

February 6, 2026

Lily and David discuss the significant influence of data collectors on survey variability and data quality, using examples from West Africa. They highlight the importance of thorough enumerator training to address issues like inconsistent definitions of household size.

233 – An analysis of ANOVA as a Descriptive Tool

February 3, 2026

In this episode Lily and David delve into the ANOVA (Analysis of Variance) tables, focusing on the sum of squares. They discuss how it helps account for data variability, and the difference between sum of squares and mean squares. The episode also touches on the limitations of p-values and emphasizes the ANOVA table’s value as a descriptive tool, particularly in enhancing research methods in West Africa.

232 – ANOVA and Degrees of Freedom

January 30, 2026

Lily and David discuss the application of ANOVA in agroecology research, focusing on its historical roots and its use as a descriptive tool. They emphasize the importance of understanding the degrees of freedom in the ANOVA table, highlighting its impact on effective data analysis and model fitting. This episode is part of the celebration of 20 years of research support in the region, showcasing the value of statistical methods in enhancing research outcomes.

231 – Unexplained Variability

January 27, 2026

Lily talks with Roger about an agricultural experiment in West Africa that revealed the impact of termite mounds on crop yield data. The discussion focuses on handling unexplained variability and the importance of recognizing outliers. Roger explains the necessity of removing certain plots to reduce data variability and achieve clearer results.

230 – Introduction to Sampling

January 23, 2026

In this episode, Lucie and David discuss the complexities of sampling in research. They explore common misconceptions, and introduce three levels of sampling complexity. The episode highlights the necessity of understanding population structure and the compromises involved in effective sampling.

229 – Reflections on the Joint Mathematics Meeting Part 2

January 20, 2026

In this episode, Santiago and David delve into David’s experiences at the Joint Maths Meeting. They highlight talks on applied category theory, reflecting on the importance of adapting presentations to different audiences. David shares insights on the role and impact of math camps in low-resource environments, comparing them to similar US-based initiatives. The discussion also covers innovative uses of AI in math education, including AI-driven assessments, and reflects on the collaborative and learning opportunities provided by large math conferences.

228 – Reflections on the Joint Mathematics Meeting Part 1

January 16, 2026

In this episode, Santiago and David discuss David’s insightful experiences at the Joint Mathematics Meetings (JMM) in the U.S. They explore the significance of collaboration, the role of open educational resources like WeBWork, and the challenges and opportunities in both high-resource American universities and low-resource environments.

227 – Managing vs Leading

January 13, 2026

Lily and David discuss the nuanced distinction between managing and leading. They compare structured roles to leadership that emerges naturally, and consider leadership as servitude, given versus taken leadership, and the inverted pyramid approach that supports team members to take ownership and grow.

226 – Is Diversity Always Good?

January 9, 2026

Lily and David discuss IDEMS’ guiding principle of embracing diversity. They explore the benefits and significant challenges of this principle, including personal experiences and the organisation’s journey. Despite difficulties, they highlight how diversity has strengthened IDEMS, providing adaptability and unique learnings, making IDEMS stronger as an organisation.

225 – Expanding on Personalised Education

January 6, 2026

This is a follow-up to episodes 216 and 223, it is recommended to listen to those first. In this episode, Santiago and founding director David consider the nuances of achieving personalised education through the five quiz model. They highlight the importance of community involvement and localised context in creating adaptive, relevant learning experiences.

224 – Turning Challenges into Opportunities

January 2, 2026

In this episode, Lily and David discuss transforming challenges in low-resource educational environments into opportunities. David shares his experiences in leveraging limited funding and facilities, advocating for individual initiative, and generating agency among students and staff.