In 2016 the EC has adopted a New Skills Agenda for Europe which aims to ensure that people develop a broad set of hard and soft skills from early on in life necessary for the jobs of today and tomorrow. While hard skills are clearly defined and measured, soft skills will be essential to boost employability, competitiveness and growth across the EU. That is why the modern educational programs and school curricula should focus on developing critical and analytical reasoning thinking as a part of the XXI century literacy skills. It is worth pointing that the new curricula put challenges to both students and teachers. The teachers are not well empowered with new knowledge and skills how to respond to the new requirements and the students face difficulties in achieving them. That is why it is of crucial importance to seek new ways of teaching and innovative methods for making education attractive, accessible, understandable and inclusive. This will reduce the rate of ESL and will better prepare the students for the labour market. The main aim of the project is to elaborate innovative methodology and OERs for mental arithmetic using Abacus (a board for calculating used since Vc.). With them trainers will facilitate students’ personal and academic achievements due to the development of concentration, photographic and muscular memory, creative and analytical thinking. The innovation in this strategic partnership centres on two main pillars that are accepted as innovative ways of teaching – attractive visual learning and learning in a form of a game that both lead to encouragement, self-confidence, motivation and self-expression. Preparing the detailed Abacus Methodology in three age groups and moving it on-line will improve basic skills in math, science and literacy with creation of attractive and innovative educational environment. The methodology will equip Teachers with competences that will make teaching more effective and cause better performance of students. With the Abacus Methodology students will be driven forward to achieve good learning results and will be provoked to learn and think in different directions. At the same time educators will be empowered with modern, attractive and innovative methodology that can be used not only for school achievements but for personal development too. It must be also highlighted that the intention of this innovative approach does not focus on arithmetic as a goal, rather on thinking as a mean to achieve the goal. Thus, trainers with little experience in using digital- or technology-based tools will be able to capture the main concepts and methodological background of mental arithmetic and will be able to use the Abacus concepts. Furthermore, teachers will act as facilitators (guiding role), whereas students will be in the centre of the learning processes and activities. This will stimulate higher independency and autonomy as well as allows more peer direct interaction which generates inclusion. To address these challenges BINEW project aims to: - Elaborate innovative methodology for work with Abacus that will develop equally children’s both brain semi spheres - Prepare and deliver a set of educational resources and materials to promote and support the effective use of mental arithmetic concepts. - Elaborate and test a Repository with exercises and tools for work with Abacus - Elaborate Abacus portal with options for generating own, with various difficulty and type additional exercises - Train trainers in Abacus concepts - Test and adapt the Repository and the Portal The main results of the project will be generated around the development of the three intellectual outputs: Methodology for Mental Arithmetic (MMA); Repository with exercises, tools and evaluation materials for mental arithmetic (RMM) and Abacus Portal with Generator of exercises. The project activities will include 6 LTTAs (one per partner country) in native languages. The trainings will train educators in mental arithmetic who after successfully passed exam will acquire an international certificate for work all over the world where there are mental arithmetic centers. The partnership comprises 7 organizations from 6 countries with diversity of perspectives and know-how from different education and training systems - Central Europe (Poland), South and Mediterranean Regions (Italy and Spain) and South Eastern Europe (Greece, Turkey and Bulgaria). We have old and new EU member states and a candidate country. As an expertise we have an Educational Inspectorate (TR), two training providers (ES and GR), a consortium of SMEs combining a VET body, a consulting firm, an International Certification body and a social cooperative (IT), an accredited training association (BG) and a SME (PL). In the partnership we have very experienced in international collaborations partners (the applicant Know and Can, MateraHub, Danmar, AKMI, DEFOIN), not so experienced, (MEM) and not experienced (ISMA).
A major problem in education systems across Europe is early school leaving, often due to poor performance and a lack of understanding of mathematics subjects. The main goal of Bi-NEW project was to create innovative methodologies for mental arithmetic using Abacus and supporting materials for different age groups. Modern educational programs and school curricula should focus on developing critical and analytical reasoning thinking as a part of the XXI century literacy skills. With the help of the Methodologies and the additional materials, by developing abilities activating the simultaneous work of both brain hemispheres, teachers and trainers will facilitate students’ personal and academic achievements due to the development of concentration, photographic and muscular memory, creative and analytical thinking, fine motorics, mastering different sources of information acceptance. By acquiring new skills through which they will significantly improve their success in school, their early school leaving will definitely be reduced. Must be mentioned that these type of skills are not only for school use, but universal, required by the modern life style. At the same time educators were empowered with modern, attractive and innovative methodology that can be used not only for school achievements but for personal development too. The application of the Methodologies requires specific knowledge and skills, for which in the initial form of the project national trainings were provided, which unfortunately were not funded, but as an important part for the realization and sustainability of project results it was decided by the partnership to conduct them. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic situation, only 4 trainings were conducted - in Spain, Turkey, Greece and Bulgaria with a total of 57 participants, carefully selected according to pre-set criteria. For those teachers who do not want or cannot benefit from the methodologies, but need innovative teaching materials, the second intellectual product Repository of Exercises was developed, containing more than 115 exercises for the three age groups. The Collection contains exercises developing various skills from physical - asymmetric gymnastics, coordination, simultaneous work with two arms and / or legs, agility, emphasis on working with the non-leading hand, to exercises requiring the construction of logical nets and analytical thinking for solving them, applying strategies to succeed. A third group of exercises focuses on visual and auditory perception and its correct reproduction. Each exercise has a theoretical part with the methodology used and the objectives sought, a selective explanation for implementation, tips for the trainers and a list of resources. The third intellectual product Generator of Exercises - is an online application for testing and improving individual skills in various areas related to mathematics. Available online with customization options depending on the preparation or as a challenge to achieve a certain result such as complexity and time. It is important to note that the implementation of the methodologies in non-formal environment does not require fundamental knowledge and pedagogical experience, but motivation and understanding of the opportunities that such training opens up personally and professionally with subsequent teaching. These are the foundations for the tangible impact of the project. Despite or due to the pandemic situation, informal educational institutions were the first in Bulgaria to benefit from the project results during the summer vacation and Mental Arithmetic is offered in 35 centers in Bulgaria, and starting September 15th in three public schools. After the presentation of the project during the Multiplier event on July 9th with a demonstration of the exercises with increasing difficulty and participation of the public, many teachers started using some of them or combinations of them in their classes. The effect is similar in Turkey, where attempts are being made to make Methodology training part of the compulsory curriculum of pedagogical profiles. Unfortunately, the pandemic and lack of local trainings has slowed the impact in some countries, but mental arithmetic will certainly expand its geography, as is the case in Spain, and the results of the project are yet to be seen.