MiA – Matematic in Action

The long-term goal of the development project is to improve adult mathematics skills and (functional) numeracy through teacher education and training. Participating project partners prepared a workshop model for teachers and a handbook on effective ways of learning mathematics.

The Mathematics in Action project for adults is one of the rare ones on the European level that dealt with the learning of mathematics by less educated adults. In reality, numerous international surveys indicate that mathematical skills in certain adult groups do not correspond to the requirements of technological progress. This is true of Slovenia as well because an international literacy study from 1998 showed that 65% of adults in Slovenia aged 16 to 65 are below the international average in numeracy skills. Adult education teachers in Slovenia frequently find that educational programmes for adults to learn mathematics are not as effective as they would wish. Adults usually do not see the connection between learning mathematics and its usefulness in everyday life.

The project has had positive effects on the content and method for the learning of mathematics by adults in Slovenia.

The project represented the continuation of the development project entitled Adults Learn Mathematic Across Borders – ALMAB that concluded in October 2003. It dealt mainly with the collection, adaptation and exchange of study materials for adults to learn mathematics. This resulted in a handbook containing examples of good practice.

The MiA project focused mainly on studying effective models for adults to learn mathematics, pilot testing of said models on adult participants and teachers in new environments as well as the preparation of proposals for the improvement of existing methods for adults to learn mathematics within the scope of formal and non-formal education. Each participating country thus included two adult maths teachers in the project (two teachers from the Celje-based Services and Logistics Secondary School with many years of experience in adult education took part in the project) who participated actively at international gatherings within the scope of the project and also took part in all pilot phases for the testing of models in practice in their respective countries. The project concluded with the information dissemination conference in October 2007 in Copenhagen.

You can read more about the project here.