This project of Cooperation for innovation and exchange of good practice is named as Ready to innovate: Maths&Sports4all (RIMAS) Several investigations assure that education in Europe is equal in terms of gender perspective. However, we know that, due to cultural tradition, certain countries still make distinctions between boys and girls and give more value to the male figure. Physical education is a subject positively valued by most students. Despite its benefits to improve physical condition and health, many teenagers decrease physical activity or certain sports because they consider that they masculinize them. On the other hand, the percentage of girls enrolled in STEM careers or degrees (31%) and physical education (20%) is low. In addition, it is quite common that a high number of students feel rejection towards mathematics, which makes them more unwilling towards learning this subject and others highly linked to it. Therefore, we have promoted the learning of mathematics through physical education, from a gender perspective. We have achieved that our students improve their results, change their perception towards the subject and increase their performance and level of satisfaction. Likewise, we have changed the perception of mathematics in female students, helping to promote scientific vocation especially among girls, always taking into account coeducation. Our main objective has been to develop a set of tools for teachers of students between 6 and 11 years old to teach and reinforce mathematical contents through physical education, training teachers in this new approach. The secondary objectives of the project that have been achieved are: - To develop a package of educational tools to improve mathematical competence from the playground and gym. - To favor the process of ubiquitous learning and teaching. - Strengthen the conditions of women in Physical Education and Mathematics to educate schoolchildren in equality. - To carry out activities in different countries to learn about and promote social cohesion, cultural awareness, international cooperation and understanding within Europe. The partnership was made up of seven partners. The university contributed to the development of the methodology itself, the team which belongs to it is an expert on the matter. The mathematicians’ group is an educational researchers’ team who has extensive experience in educational research, information collection and data interpretation. The four schools were ideal place where the RIMAS methodology was put into practice. That enabled to compare results, see how it evolved in different contexts but belonging to a common European framework. And a technical partner which will add a technical and proficiency profile to the tools developed. Five out of seven partners already had experience managing Erasmus+ projects at that moment. The activities that have been carried out are: Two intellectual products, the first is a set of learning resources for students, that include different types of activities to learn, Maths through Physical Education, and a complete toolkit for teachers with all the educational instruments needed, all of free access. The second intellectual product is an online teacher training course for the implementation of the previous product of open and free access. Two multiplier events were held in Spain and North Macedonia aimed at raising awareness of the project, presenting the battery of tools for teachers, and commenting on the results obtained that at the same time attracted more colleagues interested in the methodology. During the events the use of the educational platform was published, expanding thus the network of professional contact at local, regional and international level. Learning/teaching/training activity with teachers and students where the activities and methodology were implemented, assessed and improved. That activities involved students from the four schools, taking part in activities and different workshops where they demonstrate they social and civic competences as members of a common space as it is Europe. Four transnational meetings have been held which required the presence, input and resources of all members. The results obtained have led to an increase in motivation and interest in learning through an active methodology. Although more time would be needed, the results to date show that the girls who have participated in the project have improved their perception towards mathematics, which will lead them to achieve better results in mathematics, science and other areas. s mathematics and physical education. A set of manipulative, ICT-enabled tools have been created and made available to teachers around the world. The four participant schools have extended this methodology to other grades, and have developed extra activities and they continue implementing this approach to following promotions. The students showed and improvement in linguistic and social and civic competences, at the same time they gained self-confidence in linguistic competence in their second language. The results are available in the Erasmus+ Project Results Platform.
The main objective of this project was to develop a set of tools that would allow students aged 6 to 11 to learn, extend and reinforce the contents of Mathematics through Physical Education. In order to achieve the general objective, the following secondary objectives were proposed: - To develop a package of educational tools to improve mathematical competence from the playground and the gym. - To offer tools to teachers that allow them to link the teaching of mathematical content with Physical Education. - To favour the process of ubiquitous teaching and learning, enabling the acquisition of knowledge through the creation of didactic platforms that do not link learning to a specific physical environment. - Strengthen the conditions of women in Physical Education and Mathematics in order to educate our schoolchildren in equality. - To carry out activities in different countries to learn about and promote social cohesion, cultural awareness, international cooperation and understanding within Europe.
The project was requested because, after carrying out several investigations in prestigious journals, it was detected that many university degrees related to physical activity and mathematics were dominated by men over women. We saw the project as an opportunity to design an integrative methodology in which coeducation would encourage the interest of girls and boys alike in Mathematics and Physical Education. We believe that through the design of a set of tools aimed at improving the teaching of teachers in the teaching of mathematics through physical education we will be able to fight against the lack of vocations towards the two disciplines of our students. In this way we want to make the target groups see that they are capable of achieving whatever they set their minds to.