Math skills Erasmus Project

Project Title

Math skills

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 vocational education and training

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2019

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Open and distance learning; Early School Leaving / combating failure in education; Teaching and learning of foreign languages

Project Summary

Subject:
Our proposal targets the “Numeracy skills” in the key competences for the Lisbon strategy by creating an arithmetic aid unlike any that exist at present.
Rationale:
The 2012 PISA survey, in which mathematics was the key area of assessment, found that in many countries, pupils are not proficient in basic elementary arithmetic. In Bulgaria 43,8% of pupils (24.3% in Luxembourg and 22.4% in France) are “underperforming in mathematics under level 2” (basic arithmetic in primary school). In the same countries, numeracy skills are lower than the average for the 64 participating countries. Many tools have targeted literacy problems, but very few seek to combat a lack of elementary arithmetic skills (innumeracy) which is one of the surprising, if not unbelievable and very disturbing new “discoveries”.
During the development of the previous version, the first colleagues of the partnership noted that the tool was also suitable for foreign language courses (confirmed by teachers outside the project). As English is by far the most taught language in Europe, we quickly realized the interest of an English version.
In the annual English proficiency index, France lost 3 places in 2018 and ranked only 35th among 88. For remediation immersion courses are recommended; there are few courses in total immersion. Our new tool would make this much easier for teachers.
Most important aspects of the previous tool: all exercises are integrated into sequences with a complete story and a theme (everyday life, professional life, leisure). This facilitates the understanding of the problem and increases the motivation of the learner by making him participate in the story. He solves problems presented in a form suitable for touch. Tools in schools present problems that are often purely technical and without context.
Main objectives: to understand the mechanism and the sense of the four operations, to use the simple percentages, the rule of 3, the current measurements, the simple fractions … In each sequence the learner will also make estimations and mental calculation.
Used in a foreign language course, understanding is facilitated by texts that are concrete, clear, and humorous, with supporting illustrations. All texts are spoken by native speakers for a good pronunciation.
Description of the tool:
* The tool “Opération Calcul à Graphoville” will be entirely adapted in English and will have important additions.
* Direct evaluations:
– in each of the 25 sequences the learner is continuously informed of the % of successful exercises.
– For all the sequences that the learner has worked he is informed on request of the % of overall success and % of success for each of the educational objectives. This evaluation will provide important information to the trainer.
* new entry option: start a search based on an educational objective to get a list of exercises where this difficulty is present.
* 10 interactive, illustrated and spoken lessons will be integrated into the tool and will enhance the learner’s autonomy in solving exercises.
* new category with 20 innovative exercises: the student has to create from an illustration an exercise with precise instructions (e.g. an addition and a multiplication) or without instructions.
* A presentation video in FR (subtitled in DE, EN, BG) for further training sessions.
The tool will exist in interactive version online AND in paper version freely downloadable. In the school environment, paper versions remain widely used even if there is an interactive version. Our previous tools have demonstrated it.
Consortium:
The consortium brings together 6 partners from 5 countries (FR, LU, DE, IE and GB) composed of actors from initial training (level 1 to 5 of the EQF), adult education, and training of trainers, specialists in the creation of educational tools as well as storytelling and theatre.
Target audience:
For the calculation: the most fragile students of vocational colleges and high schools, trainees in vocational training or those who benefit from upgrading in a “key skills” device. For a foreign language course: anyone with a B1 level.
Impacts:
The consortium ensures a direct impact on its audience and the public of the associated partners and an additional impact in learning a foreign language. The 25 sequences take up subjects from everyday life, the professional world and leisure. The texts are humorous, clear. The illustrations facilitate the acquisition of vocabulary. All texts are spoken by native speakers.
The previous tool on the website of Euro Cordiale has already had more than 50 000 visits.

Project Website

https://calcul.rivagepro.com

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 179763 Eur

Project Coordinator

Rivage Pro SAS & Country: FR

Project Partners

• GIP FORMATION CONTINUE et INSERTION PROF
• LOUGHBOROUGH UNIVERSITY
• Bulgarian Educational and Cultural Centre in Ireland
• EURO CORDIALE A.S.B.L.
• ABU Akademie für Berufsförderung und Umschulung gGmbH