SMEM; Significant Mathematics for Early Mathematicians

The main priority of the project “Significant Mathematics for Early Mathematicians” (SMEM) has been to improve and extend the supply of high-quality learning opportunities tailored to the needs of...

The SMEM project aimed to: -Change some traditional methods of teaching mathematics and provide teachers with powerful tools to create 'rich' activities from early childhood; -Analyse the paths of pre-school math curricula and help to embrace the basic concepts for future math learning; -Help reduce the gender gap in the choice of studies related to STEM; -Encourage creativity and human-centric skills (cooperation, empathy, social awareness, citizenship…); -Approach basic math concepts, processes and ways of thinking through friendly approaches; and to combat the negative image of mathematics; -Entertain and bring a joyful math experience in these first years of life. We aspire to offer an increasingly positive view of mathematics by starting with the youngest learners, in order to bring the language of mathematics closer to everybody by using a much kinder perspective than has traditionally been the case, thus contributing to the formulation of solid and valid mathematical concepts for future generations.

SMEM conducted the following activities with the public: - Pilot tests, consisting of practical workshops testing the materials, reaching 1616 children and 105 teachers and educators in five countries. - Final conference (multiplier event) consisting on a one-day event, split into two parts: workshops (43 children, 4 teachers), presentation for educators and stakeholders (23 participants). - Website with information on the project, downloadable project results, and news and events, available in 8 languages (see results in next question). Dissemination activities include social media campaigns, distribution of promotional materials, participation in conferences, publications in journals, etc, reaching an estimated nearly 89,000 people through communication activities. See the annexed Pilot Test Report, the Final Conference Report, and the Dissemination Report for more details on these activities.

SMEM produced the following concrete results: * A Small Hybrid Exhibition and Handbook (PR1), consisting of: - 8 exhibits (6 physical, 2 virtual), - 22 DIN-A2 exhibition boards with ambient stories, - A 13-pages handbook “A guide on mathematical exhibits”, - A 19-pages blueprint document to reproduce the exhibition, * A Didactic Suitcase for Pop-up Exhibitions and User’s Handbook (PR2), consisting of: - 21 exhibits (16 physical, 5 virtual), - 30 DIN-A3 exhibition boards with ambient stories, - A 46-pages handbook “How to use mathematics exhibits in the classroom” - A set of more than 30 STL files for download (for 3d-printing) * A Digital Educator’s Companion for Workshops (PR3) consisting of a 52-pages booklet “Further explorations”. * A website for the project, https://smemlab.eu, consisting of: - A home page introduction -A presentation of the project - A presentation of the partners - A resources list with all the material from PR1, PR2, PR3. - A news/events section - A contact form All the documents and the website are available in 8 languages (English, German, French, Spanish, Catalan, Serbian, Croatian, Greek). All the outputs are released under open licenses (Creative Commons BY-SA 4.0) These tangible results fulfill our intended mission goals: - To design materials and activities to provide a gentle approach to mathematical concepts for young children. - To help educators in developing good math practices - To strengthen our pan-European network of contacts and partners to achieve an impact at international level.