M@THGAN- Effective Ways of Teaching Mathematics through Technology ,Game, Art and Nature

"<< Background >>The future sciences will need this new soil to grow, they will need new MATHEMATICS."" The perception of “Math lesson” among students, teachers and the society is unfortunately on the negative side. In many classrooms, students continue to learn mathematics through instructions that teach rote procedural skills without connecting mathematical concepts. The 2018 report published on OECD.org states that our students’ performances in Mathematics isn’t satisfying. The mentioned EU reports showed that these problems are closely related with the lack of mathematic teachers’ competencies, especially digital, and their ability to use attractive teaching methods based on ICT which enable to promote attractive learning of math.The M@THGAN project aimed to promote a positive attitude towards mathematics by integrating it into daily life. It emphasized changing teaching methods to enhance student understanding and problem-solving skills. The project prioritized educational development to meet global needs, advocating for investment in education, innovative teaching, and teacher training. Teachers were encouraged to improve mathematics teaching, engage students, and address challenges to enhance mathematical competence and interest.<< Objectives >>M@THGAN project focused on improving effective teaching ways of MATHEMATICS through TECHNOLOGY, GAME, ART and NATURE.The specific objectives were:1) Consolidating teachers' professional profiles for teaching Mathematics by enhancing digital competencies, adopting innovative practices using ICT, developing critical thinking, creativity, and integrating mobile apps for gamification. Encouraging teachers to move classrooms to nature and museums for a deeper understanding of mathematics.2) Strengthening the development of STEAM competences, in particular mathematic, scientific, technological, digital, linked to creativity and innovation, for Primary and Secondary School students by creating a positive attitude towards mathematics.3) share positive experiences and innovative practices in the math teaching practice, based on the networking practice at a European level.4) cooperate with partners in order to improve the way math is being taught in Europe.5) to develop a Classroom activities guideline for teachers6) to develop a M@THGAN game7) to develop a MOOC M@THGAN<< Implementation >>The project was implemented in accordance with the schedule and objectives planned in the application form, small changes being done in the timeline, as some tasks required more time than initially estimated:- Partners have used the tools that were developed within the Project: Management plan, Evaluation plan, Monitoring Plan, Quality Assurance Plan, and Dissemination Plan to ensure that the project is on track and to effectively disseminate project information to stakeholders.- TPM1 in April 2022 in Romania- The partners have created and signed inter-institutional agreements to ensure effective collaboration throughout the project.- As part of the project's implementation, project teams have been created to ensure that tasks are completed efficiently and effectively. The teams consist of staff with diverse backgrounds, including mathematics educators, instructional designers, multimedia developers, and other subject matter experts, from each partner institutions and are focused on specific project objectives.- The project logo and visual identity have been developed to ensure a cohesive and recognizable image for the project. This included the creation of a project logo, color scheme, typography, and design guidelines that are being used across all project materials.- The website serves as a central hub for project information and resources, while the social media accounts are being used to promote project updates and engage with stakeholders. Both the website and social media accounts adhere to the project's visual identity guidelines to ensure a consistent and professional image. To keep the social media accounts active and engage with stakeholders, the project team has implemented a weekly math challenge in the 1st year of the project, which was published every Monday. The challenges were designed to be thought-provoking, encouraging followers to engage with the project and share their solutions. This has resulted in increased engagement and interest in the project on social media.- In each partner country we have organized a launching event to introduce the project to relevant target groups.- C1 ""Boositing your students’ computational Thinking / Using Coding"" in August 2022 in Greece- C2 Using Games and Gamification as educational value in October 2022 in Italy- C3 ""The world around us is our learning place! Museums/ Galleries and Cultural Heritage"" in May 2023 in Poland- Following the successful completion of the LTTAs organized in Greece, Italy and Poland, the participants have replicated the trainings within their own institutions by organizing seminars and workshops some online and some with physical presence.- C4 ""MOOC M@THGAN- How to use MOOC"" in September 2023 in Norway - Piloting R1 and R2 in cooperation with various associated partner schools from our countries. The feedback received was used to improve our designed activities and game. - Setting Math Corners in Pilot Schools with activity kits developed by the project team.-2nd TPM Interim Meeting in March 2023 in Norway- Pilot Test - MOOC M@THGAN- 3rd TPM Final Meeting in Turkiye in January 2024- Multiplier events were organized in each partner country. These events had significant roles for not just promoting the valuable project results, but also introducing the participants to the Erasmus programmes, and explaining the different funding opportunities.We have used pedagogical practices that promote mathematical proficiency and use of ICT, use of outdoor activities, nature, museums, galleries, games and gamification in order to carry out this project. While doing this, we have combined many methods and techniques in our methodology such as project –based and game- based learning as well as active learning and ICT based learning for project activities.We have developed the project results according to our project's aims:R1 Classroom Activities Guide - How Can Teachers Involve TECHNOLOGY, GAMES, ART and Nature into MATHEMATICS?R2 M@THGAN Game has two versions: A Board Game: EuroM@thgan Adventure and a Digital version – an online escape roomR3 MOOC M@THGAN with six modules, available in English and partners’ national languagesThe project results have been made available to a wide range of users, i.e. all interested teachers, parents and students, the activities kits, the guide, the game assests and the MOOC were uploaded on the project website: https://mathgan.eu/results, promoted also on Social media https://www.facebook.com/mathganproject, https://www.instagram.com/mathganproject/ accounts, partner’s websites, Science Facebook groups and on Scientix. Some of them were already downloaded by 250 users. At the moment, the developed results are used by educators and teachers from associated schools and educational staff from other institutions directly cooperating with the organizations of our consortium.Moreover, activities unplanned initially have been implemented to help spread the project results to a wider audience: M@THGAN has been a partner in SDC23 and SDC24 campaigns developed by Scientix, The SDC23 campaign was a record-breaking success. More than 360,000 teachers and students worked hard between February and April 2023 to put their schools on the map and showcase their STEM activities. Results of SDC24 will be estimated after its end.M@THGAN project has been included in the Scientix Projects Repository. It may be found here. It is a fully searchable database of current and past STEM education projects in Europe.Science Topics Networking Seminar (STNS) STEM goes Digital took place on 28th of September 2022. This Seminar hosted by EUN, co-organised by FizziQ and Mathgan has been planed in order to debate on How can technology support STEM teaching? This event brought together key stakeholders: Ministries of Education (MoEs), teachers, researchers, industry partners, project coordinators, managers, and other representatives, from European and national science education projects. M@THGAN published in a SCIENTIX observatory paper, that outlines the key discussion points raised during the seminar, supported by research from the scientific literature. The full paper is available here https://files.eun.org/scientix/Bilgin_et_al_2022_STEM_goes_Digital_ready_to_publish.pdf. On March 21st 2023, Scientix hosted an online training session as part of their Scientix Ambassador Training Sessions (SATS) focused on using games and gamification as educational tools in mathematics teaching. Led by M@THGAN coordinator, the training provided practical strategies and tools for integrating game-based activities into classroom teaching to enhance student engagement and achievement. The M@THGAN Game and other game-based activities developed within the project were also shared with participants as examples of effective game-based teaching strategies.Mathgan Project team also participated in the I International Congress of STEAM Educational Experiences. The congress, organized by LA ESTACIÓN DE LA CIENCIA Y LA TECNOLOGÍA, aimed to bring together professionals and educators from various fields to share their knowledge and experiences in the realm of STEAM education.<< Results >>The concrete project results are:R1 Classroom Activities Guide - How Can Teachers Involve TECHNOLOGY, GAMES, ART and Nature into MATHEMATICS? with over 60 activity kits, available in English and partners' national languagesR2 M@THGAN Game has two versions: A Board Game: EuroM@thgan Adventure, available in English and partners’ national languages and a Digital version – an online escape roomR3 MOOC M@THGAN with six modules, available in English and partners’ national languagesProject website, Social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram and Youtube, visual image of the projectDissemination materials, articles etcOther results of the project include:- Increased awareness of the importance of improving the quality of mathematics teaching across different levels of education.- Support for teachers in gaining new teaching skills and methods, as well as motivation to use innovative pedagogical methodologies and learning environments.- Students developed a deeper understanding of mathematics, acquired key competencies essential for lifelong learning, and improved their academic results in mathematics assessments and national exams.- Creation of a better classroom environment and greater satisfaction within the educational community due to the implementation of interactive and engaging teaching practices.- Change in students' perception towards mathematics, with increased interest and motivation to learn scientific disciplines.- Students, including those with low achievements in mathematics, acquired the necessary skills and increased their appetite for learning mathematical concepts.- Integration of technology, games, nature, and art into mathematics teaching, enhancing the overall learning experience and promoting creativity, critical thinking, problem-solving, and reasoning skills among students."