Modern and activating methods in developing mathematical competences. Erasmus Project

Project Title

Modern and activating methods in developing mathematical competences.

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 Schools Only

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2017

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: ICT – new technologies – digital competences; Key Competences (incl. mathematics and literacy) – basic skills

Project Summary

The Erasmus + project, KA2 action “Modern and activating methods of developing mathematical competences” was carried out from 01/09/2017 to 31/08/2019. The partner schools were IV LO im.gen.Stanisława Maczka in Katowice in Poland, Liceo Scientifico Classico E.Torricelli in Somma Vesuviana in Italy, Liceul Tehnologic Coanda until 31.08.2018, Colegiul Energetic from 01.09.2018. in Ramnicu Valcea in Romania.

The project schools had been facing the problem of not sufficiently high mathematical competence of some of their students and a negative attitude towards this subject. The methods used by mathematicians had not raised the level of low competences diagnosed at the start.

Objectives
For students:
-improvement of mathematical competences (mathematical modeling, strategy formulation and strategy use, reasoning and argumentation), ICT skills (word processing, making charts and presentations, creating an e-booklet), language skills (maths, and ICT vocabulary, communicative functions), adopting the positive attitude towards learning maths

For teachers
– the increase of knowledge about activating methods and project method and the development of skills how to use them, the development of ICT skills and gamification in teaching mathematics, language competences, the ability to work with students from a different cultural background, the development of new forms and methods of work

The number and profile of participants
Project participants were primarily students with learning difficulties in mathematics, with their results below average:
in Poland, students of humanities and language classes (100 students), about 30 from the other classes (photo competition), in Italy about 75 from high school – science courses
in Romania – majoring in mechatronics, telecommunications, automation, electronics and automotive electronics (100 students)
all teachers of partner schools – 198 people (training conferences), mathematics teachers – 15 people, IT teachers – 3, science teachers – 5 (other activities), English teachers -5 people (directly helping with the project).

Undertaken activities:
Surveys: among students on their opinions on good teaching practices in all schools, among teachers on the use of the project-based and activating methods, gamification, language course for teachers, creating posters with mathematical terms in English, working in experimental groups, creating a film about Poland, Italy, Romania „Our country, our region, our city and famous Mathematicians”, workshops for students: “Computer typesetting”, “How to make an e-booklet”, “How to prepare a city game”, organizing a photo contest “Our town in the eyes of a Mathematician”,” Physical phenomena “, workshops for teachers about eTwinning, organization of three short training programs for employees of C1, C2, C5 (project-based method, activating and eTwinning methods, the use of ICT, gamification, CLIL in teaching mathematics), organization of three short-term exchanges of groups of students C3, C4, C6 (lesson observations, Origami and Rubik’s cube workshops, experimental lessons, mathematical competition “Maths around us”, mathematical Escape Room, robotics classes, searching for mathematical dependencies in tourist attractions: Reggia di Caserta, museum of composer A. Pann, in the Ocnele salt mine, Bran and Peles castles, Krakow, lectures on the European labour market, mathematics in the perspective of studying, about the Möbius ribbon and the application of mathematics in architecture, “To see the warmth”, classes at the Copernicus Science Center, Citta della Scienza, online math games, city game, project-based method work) creating a project publication and an e-booklet.
Results
Teachers:
– acquired new methods and materials for developing mathematical modeling, strategy creation, reasoning and argumentation, project work skills
– developed the skills of applying: ICT in teaching, gamification, activating methods, creating eTwinning projects, CLIL methods
– developed language competences
Pupils:
– developed the above-mentioned mathematical skills, language competences, ICT (creating charts, presentations, photo editing, creating an e-booklet, film editing), group work
– adopted a positive attitude to maths learning
Long-term benefits:
– further development of international cooperation -eTwinning project of the Polish and Turkish schools, Romanian school- Erasmus+ KA1 “Quality and Interactivity”, 2019-1-CY01-KA229-058292_5, 2019-1-IT02-KA229-062415_3, 2019-1-FR01-KA229-062882_5, 2019-1-IT02-KA229-062188_2
– extending the range of possible future careers: interest in professions related to science, new perspectives related to new skills – film editing, text editing, article writing
– increase of students’ competitiveness on the labour market (mathematical and language competences, group work)
– raising the school’s prestige (through dissemination activities)
– improving the quality of maths teaching in the schools where the project was disseminated

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 84125 Eur

Project Coordinator

IV Liceum Ogolnoksztalcace im.Generala Stanislawa Maczka w Katowicach & Country: PL

Project Partners

• LICEO TORRICELLI
• Colegiul Energetic