Mathematics for Sustainable Development Erasmus Project

Project Title

Mathematics for Sustainable Development

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 : School Exchange Partnerships

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Environment and climate change

Project Summary

The Mathematics for Sustainable Development (MaSuD) project combines two educational issues: math anxiety and raising awareness on environmental issues. Math anxiety is defined as “the panic, helplessness, paralysis, and mental disorganisation that arises among some people when they are required to solve a mathematical problem” (Tobias & Weissbrod, 1980). Math anxiety is usually linked with the curriculum and teaching styles experienced in the classroom which often focus on memorisation and recitation, emphasising a black-and-white, right-or-wrong approach (Finlayson, 2014). Even students with high academic performance suffer of math anxiety.
Environmental issues are increasingly present in our society. Implementing the European Green Deal (EU climate neutral by 2050) is possible if Europeans are aware of environmental issues. Raising awareness through education for sustainable development is possible by involving all disciplines, including maths.
We believe that learning mathematics through open-ended problems allows students to overcome math anxiety and acquire various concepts (related or not to math) and thinking skills.
Our objectives:
1. raise students’ awareness of environmental issues and sustainable development by having them manipulate mathematical tools that allow them to measure the impact of particular actions;
2. increase students’ interest in science and in particular in mathematics by proposing open problems to be dealt with in groups;
3. develop students’ math competences, creativity, cognitive abilities, and collaboration skills;
4. practice written and oral English via international collaboration and communication.
Four partner schools, two French and two Romanian, with some experience in implementing math research (MeJ) workshops, will work together to reach the project aims.
The math research workshop for students replicates research activities done by professional researchers. The workshop capitalises on students’ inventiveness and creativity, inviting them to discover math and carry out research in this field. Working in small groups, students look for math solutions for a research topic launched by researchers. The students’ activity is facilitated by a teacher and supported by a professional researcher. After the research activities proper, the students share their results in conferences, etc.
In MaSuD, students work on specific problems and explain their specific impacts on the environment, human health, the economy; they design a solution by mathematical modelling and explain how their solution helps mitigate negative impacts. Each partner-school brings different perspectives to the research. Sharing methods and approaches across partner schools takes place on the eTwinning platform; sharing within each school develops students’ skills, their understanding of environmental issues and engagement in the project. In face-to-face discussions students compare ideas and share cultural practices: e.g. means of transportation to reach a Romanian or French school, a rural or urban school. Energy demand management is different in a Mediterranean environment and a continental one and each establishment may have developed replicable measures. The students will use mathematical tools to quantify the impact of such measures.
The collaborative work will have students meet researchers depending on the problems tackled and the math tools needed. These meetings with researchers and other professionals who can support them with their research will also be enriching for the students’ career orientation and further studies. The research work will develop students’ math competences, creativity, cognitive and collaboration skills, and therefore their level of achievement in STEM. The students will work in groups; thus, each student will be able to help colleagues and contribute to their research. There will be many exchanges via the eTwinning platform. The inquiry-based learning (IBL) approach is fundamental to this project. IBL is used in a collaborative context. Science and math teachers will work together to put it into practice.
Our expected results are:
– students’ skills improved during the research work (collaborative problem-solving skills, modelling competency, written and oral communication skills of the research results);
– better environmental awareness among students and teachers;
– better English language mastery among students’ and teachers’;
– improved teaching skills through transdisciplinary approaches.
The partner-schools, other schools and the Math.en.Jeans Association benefit from our project by using the MaSuD approach and research topics on environmental issues.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 129984 Eur

Project Coordinator

LYCEE POLYVALENT VAL DE DURANCE & Country: FR

Project Partners

• Colegiul National Mihai Eminescu Satu Mare
• Institution Bellevue
• Colegiul National Emil Racovita