Happy Maths, fitghing Maths Anxiety with Game-based Learning
Year Awarded
2021
Amount
€48,967
- Organisation:Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin)
- Audience:Primary Students, Primary Teachers, Parents
- Location:Dublin, Kildare, Meath
- Topic:Maths
Project Summary
Happy Maths is a programme for primary schools students, teachers and parents to raise awareness about Maths Anxiety and how game-based learning can mitigate its negative effect. Maths Anxiety is “a debilitating negative emotional reaction towards mathematics” affecting 1 in 6 students. It is more severe in girls than boys, thereby worsening the existing problem of gender inequality in STEM education.
Happy Maths has two aspects. One is for pupils, consisting in a 5-week-programme where pupils engage with educational digital games for Maths. The aim is not only to increase pupils’ Maths cognitive abilities, but specifically to use the power of games to engage disadvantaged and anxious pupils and mitigate the negative effects of Maths Anxiety. The second aspect is for teachers and parents. The program includes workshops for teachers to facilitate their independent adoption of game-based learning in the classroom and multimedia information material for children and parents. The uniqueness of Happy Maths is that the games used in the programme were entirely developed by the applicants. The games won three international awards and they were piloted in 5 Dublin primary schools. 35 Irish primary schools expressed written interested in joining the programme.
Beside the in-school programme, the Discover fund will support:
(2) the creation of a web-portal acting as a single point of reference for Ireland on the topic of Maths Anxiety and game-based learning, containing our games, CPD material to support teachers and mutlimedia information for parents,
(3) the organization of the first All-Ireland Happy Maths Cup.