Na vandrovke s číslicami Erasmus Project

Project Title

Na vandrovke s číslicami

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 2015

Project Topics

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

Project Summary

Wandering with the numbers
The global economic crisis is related to the crisis of the educational system. The big problem is constantly deteriorating students’ achievements in science disciplines, decline of interest in math and science and generally dismal state of financial literacy. We aimed to reform, innovate and improve the access to the education of mentioned areas. The exchange of experience in applying innovative practices between partners, creating new autonomous environment in which mathematical ideas are revealed by the children themselves, not least the involvement of parents in school life were very valueble in the project.
One of the main objectives of the project was to train mathematics teachers and assistants in teaching methods by Professor Milan Hejny, and thus enhance their professional development.
In the traditional teaching of mathematics students learn definitions, solve mechanical exercises and repeat solutions according to the explanations of the teacher. Often they are discouraged from deeper interest in mathematics by too much of the strange language of the teacher and mechanical counting. In our project we wanted the children to discover mathematical facts and mathematics everywhere in nature and in our everyday lives. Children have natural interest in mathematics (weight, order, systems, time, amounts, symbols, etc.). We built on this interest. The child remembers more of what it can discover on its own. Math is not about right and quick counting, but the quality of thinking, problem solving and rich communication.
In bordering countries, especially in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland, the ideas of teaching mathematics by Professor Milan Hejny and his father Vit Hejny are emerging. The project also worked with organizations (people) that already have experience with this method. Some Slovak teachers involved in the project had already completed basic training of Hejný‘s mathematics. The job was very demanding and required a completely new approach by the teacher- he does not explain, but creates an environment in which students discover, test and discuss.
By supporting innovative approaches, we increased students‘ interest and improved results in science subjects. We developed and applied new methods, we engaged students in competitions such as Lab and Science Cup. We developed specific skills in children, which might be termed scientific work (observe, evaluate, measure, draw conclusions, write into the chart, graph, diagram, communicate and collaborate). Slovak and Polish children experienced powerful joint training during the Science Week, which evolved in shooting a video film. They thus directly participated in the project.
Teachers of other subjects carried out the analysis of cross-cutting themes of teaching financial literacy in their subject and in collaboration with Polish colleagues they formed the document “School Financial Literacy Standards”.
We created generous environment that collected, discussed the experience from classes and processed the accumulated experience and materials into written form. Analysis of the initial level and efficiency of innovative practices were evaluated in cooperation with Educational and Psychological Counseling. The aim was not only to retrain teachers, but to get everybody into the really creative teaching. Children speculated, explored and consulted in their classes. As well as their teachers and parents. The project developed three modules: I.- Mathematics II. – Natural Education III.- Financial Literacy. The project created intellectual outputs, which are published on the Internet and in joint publications with ISBN, so out of each work there are few pieces placed in special libraries and the results are usable source to be quoated and used in next research or in the training of future university teachers.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 70040 Eur

Project Coordinator

Sukromna zakladna skola & Country: SK

Project Partners

• Szkola Podstawowa nr 1 im. Bronislawa Malinowskiego w Woli