Our project main objective is to build up a new maths teaching/learning methodology based on real-life problems and investigations (open-ended math situations), designed by students and teachers together. The activities will involve experimentations, hands-on approach, outdoor activities and virtual and mobile software applications. The developed material will be transformed into on-line courses and will be freely available to all interested communities, in order to produce collaborative learning activities.
As less than 30% of the graduates are following a technical profile faculty, the consortium estimates, for each of the three schools involved, that the implementation of this project will increase with 25% the number of high-school graduates that will enroll in a technical, mathematics or computer science faculty. Similarly, a 25% increase of the number of teachers using educational software and on-line platforms during the teaching/learning/evaluation process is expected. An overall 50% growth is also expected in the number of secondary level students that are learning technical disciplines using educational software.
Through this proposal we address to students, teachers, math teacher and training institutes.
Each of four partners has experience and competences on different levels of methodology. The Greek school has a lot of expertise in Moodle and LAMS systems, as well as know-how in Lego robotics which is considered as valuable hands-on resource for math tasks. The Romanian school is expert in the implementation of investigations by means of web 2.0 (wikispaces classroom tool) web2.0 tool, as well as in use of other web 2.0 tools for teaching/learning purposes (e.g. Prezi, Google Maps, Kahoot, etc). The Portuguese school has good know-how in math software (Geogebra, Excel, Wolphram Alpha, math java applets). The Romanian University has expertise in building educational materials with a various range of software, in designing mobile applications. They also have a good expertise in teacher training by using ICT technologies and e-learning platforms.
This project will exploit the European added value of its partners, being realized at European level and not within own school.
The project is innovative because it is one of the first to implement a new approach for secondary maths in our countries. The web 2.0 digital learning (math e-lessons), as well the real-life inquiries/problems and learn by doing pedagogy is innovative for our countries, far away from usual behaviourist model. Considering the main target groups of secondary young pupils, special attention will be devoted to the attractiveness of the real-life tasks. Architecture, Robotics, Arts, Sports, Finance and Nature will be the subject fields of work.
Moodle/LAMS e-lessons will enable students and teachers to use them anywhere and anytime (ubiquitous learning). Teachers’ work becomes easier, because they can teach without classic textbooks, on Moodle/LAMS platform, controlling study time for each student and receiving exercises from students on platform (e-portfolios). Students will be more confident and enthusiastic, learning with the new methodology. They will only need a PC, a tablet or a smart phone connected to the Internet, at home or at school. In our schools almost 90% of students have tablets or smart phones with access to Internet at home. We shouldn’t forget that students are using new technologies everyday and everywhere and on-line courses will be very attractive for them. The e-lessons will be readily available for other schools interested in applying our methodology in maths curriculum.