The main objective of our project which is titled Life is maths around us. The aim is to increase levels of achievement and interest in science, technology, and mathematics, with the priority of reinforcing the development of key competences. The main problem that was noticed by all partners was the pupils low scores in their exams, tests, or PISA tests, especially in mathematics. This problem is what inspired the emergence of this project and its attempts to raise the interest of students in science through engaging activities. All of the activities of the project are purposefully carried out to achieve this goal. The target group of the project is students who share one thing in common and that is boredom in classical mathematics lessons. The project involves students with different abilities, even those with special needs. Teachers are also lifelong innovators who are not afraid to try or make mistakes. The parents of students are those who want a comprehensive and quality education for their children. The project will involve about 1200 students in those various activities. The tasks will be done by about 360 students. We believe that more than 80 teachers and about 200 families will contribute too and feel the impact of the project. There will be 20 students living in vulnerable families. The project will be conducted in six stages, and for each stage, one school will be responsible for everyone from their own schools involved in similar activities. With these same activities during mutual school visits. They are to coincide with the priorities highlighted in the project. The project includes six school meetings organized in each partner's training schedule. Each meeting is planned from the perspective of school preparations and is made to present the results of these activities. Which includes exhibitions, lectures, and presentations. All results are published on the project's website (PADLET), school websites and on the e-Twinning platform. During the meeting, the host school organizes educational research and cultural activities for students. Presenting its best practices and results showing strong teaching areas to guest teachers. Schools are not constrained in their choice of methods for action, but they must be focused on the choice of topic which is the backbone of the schools' process. We will raise the results of the maths exams and tests for the schools, on 3-5% is likely, but we will certainly encourage a lot of the students to do research, explore the world and discover many wonderful things. For this, we have prepared unique and attractive project activities during the meetings. Between meetings, students will do many original creative activities. Attracting the interest of these young people, with the view of helping them to get to know the world better. The project's activities will provide more knowledge, curiosity, and self-confidence among the students. During project meetings, students will learn how to communicate with younger students whose English is not quite as advanced as theirs. Helping them with making the right choices, adapting to other cultures and traditions, encouraging them to be far-reaching multicultural European citizens. Such students will not drop out of science at a young age. With the hope that they will find their favorite hobby and realize that science is important and has a place in society. Teachers from six different countries in Europe and Asia will have the opportunity to exchange opinions and experiences. Allowing them to observe different methods of teaching, and trying out new strategies for two years. Each country will create one student exercise and discovery book, which will have at least 6 tasks. So we will have 6 unique exercise-books for extra work, lasting the students for some years. We will create 6 different tangible maths games with puzzles and 96 cards for mental counting that they will find in every school's library. All of the methodological material on the six maths integration topics will be available to everyone on the e-twinning platform. There will also share "PI day" ideas and tasks, 4 Nature Research Methods, 4 computer games that will be created during the project. We will create 10 STL files ready for 3D printing that will create building details, dominoes, and geometric bodies for math games. All these intellectual assets will be made available on the e-Twining platform and accessible to every innovative teacher. This project is a follow up to the Active, Attractive and interactive EU Mathematics project. Our project may also be complemented in the future by other more recent mathematical teaching methods, with the integration of other subjects and practical life issues. Each school will be able to continue the celebration of maths days, practical works with the following generations of students. And of course, discover something new. Well, beautiful relationships between people can last for the rest of their lives.
Our project "Life is mathematics around us" aims to increase achievement and interest in science, technology and mathematics, prioritizing the development of basic competencies. The main problem noticed by all partners was low student scores in exams, and PISA tests, especially in mathematics and students' boredom during lessons. This problem led to the emergence of the project and attempts to raise students' interest in engaging in activities in science. All project activities are aimed at achieving this goal. The target group of the project is students who have one common problem which is boredom with classical mathematics lessons. Students of various abilities participated in the project, even those with special needs. Teachers are also lifelong innovators who are not afraid to try even though they make mistakes. Parents of students are those who want comprehensive and quality education for their children. The project involved about 800 students in these various activities. More than 50 teachers, 25 other school staff and about 200 families. 15 students were included from socially vulnerable families or orphans. The numbers are lower than we planned because 1 partner left the project. The project was carried out in six stages, which touched on different topics related to mathematics. The school, which was the host of the short-term exchange of groups of pupils during the stage, was responsible for the performance and monitoring of the tasks of each stage. The project included 5 short-term exchanges that took place in each school participating in the project *. During each meeting, innovative student activities were carried out using IT, STEAM, and 3D technologies, practical classes at universities, teachers exchanged best practices, created tasks for a joint book, and got acquainted with the country's history and culture. Short-term exchanges were used to present and evaluate the results of the stage. These include surveys, exhibitions, lectures and presentations. Results are published on the project website, PADLET and school websites. During the meeting, the host school organized educational research and cultural activities for the students and also presented its best teaching practices showing strong teaching areas to the guest teachers. * After the withdrawal of one partner from the project (Italy, stage C4), we divided the tasks of this stage among each partner and performed the tasks at different times of the project execution. This made monitoring somewhat complicated. We did not complete tasks that were directly linked to a location in Italy. We planned to raise test or exam results by 3-5%. The global COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly distorted the results of education, we do not want to speculate on achievements, so we present the facts: the achievements of the basic education of the Lekečiai department of the Panemunii School of Lithuania in the 2022-2023 school year improved by 36% compared to the 2021-2022 school year. In all the schools that participated in the project, interest in exact sciences, subjects, and STEAM activities increased, and more children choose exact science clubs, slightly, but also the results of tests and exams improved. We are very pleased with the fact that in all schools during the last 3 years, there were practically no students dropping out of the educational process (0.01% in all countries). We believe that the project's activities contributed to student retention in schools and interest in mathematics. It was planned that each project partner would create a book of student exercises and discoveries, which would contain at least 6 tasks. We decided to combine all the books into one set that would include at least 30 tasks and innovative teaching methods of 4 teachers, the subject of which we slightly expanded by promoting the integration of three-dimensional printing into the teaching process. We have created 6 different tangible math games with puzzles and mental arithmetic cards that are already in use in every school library. We also share the ideas of the "PI Day" and 4 computer games that were created during the execution of the project. We have created more than 10 STL files ready for 3D printing, which can be used to print building details, dominoes and geometric bodies for math games. All this intellectual property will be available on the websites of the project partner schools and on the new project website after the failed connection of the e-twining platform. During the project, students learned to use 3D pencils, got acquainted with fractals, symmetry, and solids, learned to use 3D printing software Tinkercad and printer control programs, created mathematical games in scratch and Minecraft Education Edition environments, teachers - the learning apps platform - this is a big step in bringing mathematics to technology making it more attractive.