CONTEXT The SMILD project related CONTEXT and main MOTIVATION is related to the promotion of the acquisition of skills and key competences with a specific focus on addressing underachievement in maths. The assumption is that learning difficulties in mathematics do not often occur with clarity and simplicity. They manifest themselves differently in different people, and are often left undiagnosed. TARGET GROUPS and THEIR NEEDS The consortium believes that math-related learning disabilities are multifaceted and require intervention by skilful teachers to help students achieve success. Recent research studies into the characteristics of students with mathematics learning disabilities are being approached from different perspectives, including developmental, neurological and neuropsychological, and educational ones. This diversity is identified as a key strategic asset to allow the development of a broader understanding of students' learning needs and difficulties. However, students with learning disabilities are often served in regular classes by general education teachers and often mathematics does not receive the same attention as reading and language arts, but many students with learning disabilities have unique difficulties in this subject area. OBJECTIVES In order to effectively answer to the defined needs the overall AIM of the SMiLD project is to identify and share educational interventions and resources that are the most effective in supporting students with learning disabilities, or at a risk for, in the core subjects of mathematics. To achieve its aim the smild project will focus on the following specific objectives: - The development of protocols for helping teachers to determine the most appropriate solutions for the students with Learning Disabilities in Math - To provide teachers and parents dealing with maths students with learning difficulties with reliable, easy to use and operative set of reference materials and information to identify and tackle underachievement in Math. EXPECTED RESULTS AND IMPACT The SMiLD project will have a direct impact on SECONDARY SCHOOL Math Teachers who through the participation as project full partners of 3 Secondary schools, will be directly involved in the creation and testing of the intellectual outputs. The project impact on their needs providing them with - greater awareness that difficulties in mathematics are as important as linguistic difficulties - greater awareness that difficulties in mathematics can be addressed rigorously, scientifically and permanently, in order to achieve effective results - an international community that interacts in order to help students with difficulties, helping families to accept that these difficulties, even if they exist, can be reduced, and helping teachers to cope with the difficulties of their students. The project will also impact on STUDENTS with Learning Disabilities in Math and on their families as they will benefit by the strategies and tools developed by the project that will allow teachers and the educational system to identify their specific needs and implement the most effective strategies to improve their learning potential. OUTPUTS on COMPLETION Schools teachers and Higher Education Institution experts will produce a reliable and operative set of tools for teachers, students and parents for the assessment/recognition and monitoring of difficulties in mathematics, as well as the definition of the necessary tools to eliminate or significantly reduce difficulties of high school students with Learning Disabilities in Math. These results will be achieved through the creation and testing of the Intellectual Output 1 – Toolkit for tackling Learning Disabilities in Math. The project partners will provide a series of guidelines to illustrate the tools identified to deal with difficulties in mathematics, which will also provide evidence of the results achieved with the tools made available in the first phase of the project and include also possible changes or improvements following the testing activities. These results will be achieved through the creation and testing of the Intellectual Output – 2 Guidelines for the management of Learning Disabilities in Math As a further result the project will make available the SMiLD Portal where teachers, students and parents can find diagnostic tools, monitoring tools and helping tool, as well as acquire specific skills.
CONTEXT The SMiLD project-related context and the main motivation is related to the promotion of the acquisition of skills and key competencies with a specific focus on addressing underachievement in maths. The assumption is that learning difficulties in mathematics do not often occur with clarity and simplicity. OBJECTIVES To effectively answer to the defined needs the overall AIM of the SMiLD project is to identify and share educational interventions and resources that are the most effective in supporting students with learning disabilities, or at a risk for, in the core subjects of mathematics. To achieve its aim the SMiLD project will focus on the following specific objectives: - The development of protocols for helping teachers to determine the most appropriate solutions for the students with Learning Disabilities in Math - To provide teachers and parents dealing with maths students with learning difficulties with a reliable, easy to use and operative set of reference materials and information to identify and tackle underachievement in Math. TARGET GROUPS Secondary School teachers - Almost 60 Math teachers directly involved in the creation of the 2 Intellectual Outputs - More than 100 teachers involved in the evaluation of Intellectual Output contents - Almost 100 teachers and policymakers participating in Multipliers events Secondary School students The project impacted the achievements in literacy and digital skills of a number of around 1400 secondary school students, among which 187 students with Learning Disabilities in Math. IMPACT The SMiLD project had a direct impact on secondary school Math Teachers who through participation as project full partners of 3 Secondary schools, were directly involved in the creation and testing of the intellectual outputs. The project impacted their needs providing them with: - Greater awareness that difficulties in mathematics are as important as linguistic difficulties - Greater awareness that difficulties in mathematics can be addressed rigorously, scientifically and permanently, to achieve effective results - An international community that interacts to help students with difficulties, helping families to accept that these difficulties can be reduced, and helping teachers to cope with the difficulties of their students. - Tools for teachers and the educational system to identify their specific needs and implement the most effective strategies to improve their learning potential. Secondary school students by: - Enhancing their pro-active attitude towards their learning process on cultural heritage using their means of communication, i.e. Web and Mobiles/Tablets - Reinforce their literacy as well as digital skills - Stimulate their willingness to learn through a comparative analysis with the cultural heritage of other European areas RESULTS To guarantee the long-term impact on the aforementioned categories, the SMiLD project developed two Intellectual Outputs that students, teachers and end-users, in general, can access and use for free from the project portal. The two Intellectual Outputs are: IO1 – Toolkit for tackling Learning Disabilities in Math The Output is divided into two main activities carried out by project partners: 1) Identification tools (https://smild.pixel-online.org/TK_Identification.php) This toolkit contains a set of Tools to be used for the definition and identification of Learning Disabilities in Math. The questionnaires addressed to students have been administrated to 1334 students among which 187 with learning disabilities. 2) Intervention and Monitoring tools (https://smild.pixel-online.org/TK_Intervention.php) This toolkit contains Intervention and Monitoring Tools to address learning disabilities in math. - The Intervention Tools consist of a set of questions, problems and exercises to address the different types and degrees of Learning Disabilities. - The Monitoring Tools allow teachers, students and their families to measure the effect of the Intervention Tools by checking whether the activities implemented have produced positive or negative results. IO2 - Guidelines for the management of Learning Disabilities in Math The output consists of a set of Guidelines addressed to secondary schools Match teachers, headmasters and policy makers divided into 3 Modules: - Policy framework of the Learning Disabilities in Math (https://smild.pixel-online.org/GL_Policy.php) The first chapter provides an overview of the state of the art of regulatory and policy framework concerning Learning Disabilities in Math. - Analysis of the Learning Disabilities in Math (https://smild.pixel-online.org/GL_Analysis.php) The second chapter addresses in details the definition, classification and analysis of Learning Disabilities in Math. - How to Address Difficulties in Math (https://smild.pixel-online.org/GL_How.php) The third chapter deals with the analysis of the instruments for addressing difficulties in mathematics.