The new school year gave start to "Math and Motivation" project

Basic skills of different degrees of complexity are becoming increasingly important to enable full participation in all aspects of modern life. Deficits of basic skills (literacy, math & science) result in dropping out from school of young people and in consequence, their bad situation at the labour market, poverty and social exclusion.

Dropping out of school has also other reasons, it is often effect of discouragement, difficulties in learning and thus low achievements; belief that intelligence is fixed (some people have it or don’t); unfriendly atmosphere. These problems occur due to inadequate learning and teaching methods.
The EU’s plan for tackling early school leaving aims to reduce the average drop-out rate to below 10% by 2020. To give their contribution to this ambitious goal, eight organisations (schools and training providers) from 7 EU countries developed the idea for the project “Math & Motivation”. The aim of the M&M project is to improve basic skills of secondary school students and reduce dropout rate in Bulgaria, Croatia, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Romania and Spain. This aim will be achieved through:
• development of Collaborative methodology and implementing it on-line form as Collaborative Learning e-Tools
• development and test of curriculum improving math, science and literacy skills
• preparation of Toolkit for Teachers and equipping them with competence of using it
• wide dissemination of outputs in order to assure exploitation and sustainability
The innovation that M&M project is planning to offer is the combination of three innovative teaching methods (self/peer learning, gamification and flipped learning) into one complex Collaborative methodology. In this methodology self/peer learning, elements of gamification and flipped learning will be combined into methodology that leads to encouragement and motivation. The methodology will include check-marking students achievements while they solve problems themselves with little involvement of Teacher, who is a facilitator helping to find the knowledge, rather than lecturer giving that knowledge. These approaches will stimulate active participation and creative spirit expressed also by students who are not very enthusiastic in learning and have not shown active participation before.

Partnership:
Regional Department of Education Sofia-city – Sofia, Bulgaria
Know and Can Association – Sofia, Bulgaria
Danmar Computers LLC – Rzeszów, Poland

Instalofi Levante S.L. - Valencia, Spain
Asociatia pentru Dezvoltare Antreprenoriala, Pregatire Profesionala si Transfer Tehnologic (ADAPT) – Valea Mare-Podgori, Romania
Istituto Statale E.Montale – Pontedera, Italy
Strojarska tehnička škola Osijek – Osijek, Croatia
EPRALIMA Escola Profissional do Alto Lima, C.I.P.R.L. – Arcos de Valdevez, Portugal