Mathematics is still considered by many students as a “blackboard subject”, a class aimed at abstract calculations with no link to reality. Meanwhile math should serve us to solve problems, starting with the everyday life issues, ending up with work or scientific environment we find ourselves in our adult lives. Mathematical competencies, widely underestimated, can open the door to career in many fields. PISA study shows, that all European countries share this experience. Therefore we involved in the Added Value project four organizations experienced in using design thinking, project-based learning i inquiry based learning: School with class Foundation (Poland), Universal Learning Systems (Ireland), Asociación Smilemundo (Spain) and University of Applied Sciences (Holland). Profiles and skills of the organizations are complementary: two NGOs, a consulting and research company, and a university. The aim of the Added Value project is to create change in teaching math in Polish and European schools. We want the teachers to become guides, to show their students the real world that can be described and better understood with the use of math tools. This world starts at school, continues at home with it's everyday phenomena, and expands to local and global issues that nowadays are within our reach at all times and that we are part of. We intend to show the practical side of math to the students, to put math in everyday context but above all we want them to believe, that they can successfully learn it and there are reasons to do so. Teachers are the reflection of the educational system they work in. That is why in Added Value we find it crucial to strengthen their professional position, self-esteem and agency. In the Report from Polish Educational Research Institute we clearly see that math teachers are respected in schools, but at the same time their relation with students is weak. We want the respect to be a result of good communication, not on the conviction that math is difficult and understood only by the chosen ones. Within the project we well prepare a mathematical toolbox: a set of topics from different educational levels (so it can be useful to wide range of teachers) with ideas on how to teach them in practice. As a complementary material we will create a set of posters showing scientists, discoverers and businessman who changed our lives thanks to math. In developing the materials we will involve a team of teachers and experts. In Added Value we will address mostly math teachers, but also teachers of other subjects that will be willing to take part in interdisciplinary projects (mainly STEAM, Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics). The project will help them to reinforce cooperation and show them how their subjects are interconnected, despite the school divisions. We will pilot our tools in 25 schools in all partner countries, among them at least 15 schools from Poland. We will involve not less than 50 teachers: 25 mathematicians and 25 teachers of other subjects, and 500 students. An additional group we target will consist of european educational institutions and organizations aimed at innovation, decision-makers, headmasters, educational leaders, sectoral media, but, above all, other teachers (despite the ones taking part in the pilot implementations) that we will reach through the wide and well established network of contacts in each organization.
Mathematics is generally perceived by students as one of the most difficult school subjects, which is not useful at all in everyday life. For many years there has been social approval for not being good in maths. Therefore, the goal of the Added Value project was to change the approach to teaching mathematics in Polish and European schools. We wanted to show students the practical application of mathematics and set it in the context of everyday life, but above all help students believe that they can learn maths and that it is worth doing. The research carried out as part of the program (in-depth interviews with teachers, desk research etc.) shows that problems with teaching maths are a common experience of various European countries. Often teachers, due to overloaded program or lack of time, limit themselves to theoretical knowledge and imitative exercises instead of teaching how to use maths to solve real-life problems in a creative way. Despite the fact that the core curricula emphasize reasoning, argumentation and problem solving strategies, in practice lessons are often limited to duplication of patterns. Excessive focus on basic skills suppresses curiosity and creativity in students. You can also see the mechanism of dividing students into so-called "mathematicians" and "humanists", the latter - having once obtained this label feel free from a further being good in mathematics. That is why the School with Class Foundation together with partners from Spain (Asociación Smilemundo), the Netherlands (NHL Stenden) and Ireland (Universal Learning Systems), developed easy-to-use and universal tools that help teachers in conducting lessons that show the practical application of mathematics in everyday life. The materials are based on the design thinking method and show students that maths is an important element of the world around us. They emphasize the role of independent planning and cooperation of students and promote the use of many different soft skills and competences. They show the interpenetration of various fields of knowledge and encourage to strengthen cooperation between teachers. All materials have a common motto “Mathematics is everywhere”! They consist of: • A mathematical toolbox: a set of 8 ready-to-use ideas for interdisciplinary classes with an explanation of the methodology and pedagogical approach (each idea includes ready-made work cards for students and guidelines for teachers, all developed according to one coherent methodology) and open forms for creating own challenges based on program methodology. The toolbox is supplemented with films showing in practice the work of the design thinking method. • a set of interactive mathematical posters. All these materials are available on the easy-to-use website in four languages. The materials developed within the project were extensively tested in schools. 264 schools from four partner countries (261 from Poland and one from the Netherlands, Spain and Ireland) got involved in the tests. 195 teachers were involved (including 191 from Poland). Challenges have been completed a total of 442 times (438 in Poland, 2 in the Netherlands, 1 each in Spain and Ireland). 5296 students took part in the classes (including 5228 from Poland). Tests and evaluation show that the goal of showing the usefulness of mathematics in everyday life has been achieved. While solving real problems students saw maths is necessary in many areas of an adult life. The materials also effectively help change the students' negative attitude towards mathematics to genuine commitment and engagement. They give students the opportunity to make their own decisions and take responsibility. Thanks to the classed based on Added Value scenarios students could also learn self-planning. Working with the design thinking method encouraged students to test different ideas and showed that one can make a mistake for which they will not be punished. The lessons involved all students, including the weaker ones. The materials also supported classroom integration and enabled students to get to know each other better. Teacher confidence in students has also increased. The materials supported interdisciplinary learning and teacher collaboration. By extending the project to other subjects, students practiced many skills at the same time. The materials and the developed approach are and will be further promoted by project partners among schools and local authorities. The use of the proposed scenarios on a wider scale, i.e. the introduction of an interdisciplinary and problem-based approach to the acquisition of knowledge, skills and social competences by students would involve needed changes in the curriculum, a certain reorganization of student styles, but - as our research has shown - it is also possible in the current Polish reality and European schools.