Flipped Learning Practices to Release Maths Anxiety with the Use of Robotics Erasmus Project

Project Title

Flipped Learning Practices to Release Maths Anxiety with the Use of Robotics

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for higher education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Overcoming skills mismatches (basic/transversal); New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Key Competences (incl. mathematics and literacy) – basic skills

Project Summary

CONTEXT
Mathematics education is considered to be the master key to development in today’s work life. It is one of the most effective instruments for reducing poverty, social exclusion and inequality since we use maths in every aspect of our lives in practical everyday activities and at work such as solving problems, managing personal finance, keeping things well ordered and using quantitative skills required by a great number of jobs.

As indicated in the research (Pro Bono Economics) people with poor numeracy skills are more than twice as likely to be unemployed. According to the research (OECD), pupils beginning secondary school with very low numeracy skills have an exclusion rate twice that of pupils starting secondary school with good numeracy skills. Around 90% of new graduate jobs require a high level of digital skills and digital skills are built on numeracy. Therefore, it is incumbent on teachers to explore how these children’s emotions and anxieties affect their achievement with mathematics, find effective solutions to facilitate their learning and reflect this into classroom environments.

Primary School Teaching Undergraduates play a crucial role to meet individuals’ differentiating needs since the future will be shaped in their hands. For this reason, they should have advanced skills to ensure that children with Mathematics Anxiety (MA) has a good grounding in mathematics and becomes equipped for their future lives.

AIM & OBJECTIVES
Hereby, the main goal of this transnational project was specified as closing skills gaps of undergraduate students, who will work at primary schools, in solution processes of possible challenges related to students with MA by developing;
a- A modular curriculum designed with flipped learning approach including step-by-step hands-on learning practices and the use of online learning materials
b- A video library including scenario-based learning/teaching activities for the use of robotics in mathematics education in primary schools

Objectives of the project are as follows.
a- To raise primary school teaching undergraduates’ awareness of MA
b- To contribute to eliminating the challenges which they will face while teaching children with MA
c- To meet them with innovative teaching activities that can be used to accelerate the learning processes of children with MA
d-To obtain genuine, valid and reliable data on the needs of undergraduate students related to the teaching activities to engage children with MA in the learning process more effectively

TARGET GROUPS
The project covers the primary education level because it is the most appropriate period for recognition and early intervention of children with MA. Considering the objectives mentioned, it is clearly determined that the primary target group of the project is 80 primary school teaching undergraduates who will teach children with MA in primary schools Different types of organisations which give service in the area of education are involved in the project.
In the partnership structure, there are seven organisations, including four universities, an educational technology enterprise, and a school of robotics. We believe diversity will bring strength to the quality of the project activities.

METHODOLOGY & ACTIVITIES
We intend to apply a methodology including both descriptive and experimental methods. A modular course curriculum will be developed, workshops will be carried out and a video library content including learning/teaching activities, where robotics are used in maths classes, will be developed. Based on the results of the workshops we will give hands-on training designed with flipped learning approach and analyse the effectiveness of these training activities and the developed intellectual outputs during the piloting processes. We will make the necessary corrections based on the results and use it in our further training activities after the project period.

DISSEMINATION & IMPACT
We will disseminate the project results through six main on-site events which are six seminars. We will also use every possible channel to disseminate the project results such as introductory meetings, the project website, posts, online newswire releases, virtual networks and social media.

This project is foreseen to make an impact on;
a- primary school undergraduate students in terms of enhancing their teaching skills and developing the quality of teaching in primary school classroom environments
b- children with MA in terms of early intervention and active participation in the teaching processes through innovative teaching approaches
c- academia in terms of providing a comprehensive study example and inspiring new research in the area
All interested people in Europe and all around the world will benefit from the project results since these training activities will continue and all the intellectual outputs will be open access.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 142810 Eur

Project Coordinator

KOCAELI UNIVERSITESI & Country: TR

Project Partners

• INSTITUTO POLITECNICO DE VISEU
• LATVIJAS UNIVERSITATE
• CANAKKALE ONSEKIZ MART UNIVERSITESI
• SCUOLA DI ROBOTICA
• Educloud Egitim Organizasyon Teknoloji Ticaret Limited Sirketi