Sweden had the greatest fall in mathematics performance over the last ten years. How do we break the trend?
The goal of this crowdfunding campaign is to contribute to the solution of the school problem in Sweden. iMatematik AB has developed the next generation learning material that is based on an inductive method, utilizes the latest technology and meets the current school curriculum.
We need your support to halt the education slide!
This campaign aims for Sweden as a test market, but we are developing learning materials that will soon be ready for an international market. Stay tuned!
iMathematics are interactive learning resources that have been developed in Sweden to meet the needs of an increasingly interconnected world. The new pedagogy entails an active and student-centered education that results in a high degree of motivation and a better use of the digital skills that young people now possess.
iMathematics go beyond simple memorization and repetition and develop the ability to investigate, think logically, use strategies for problem solving, and to argue and explain using mathematical terms.
A Swedish class trying out iMathematics at Polhemskolan in Lund.
From the Swedish newspaper Expressen (2015): “There is a Sweden before the PISA shock in December 2013 and a Sweden after. The realization that the level of knowledge of Swedish students drop more than in any other country was a rude awakening. The Swedish school is in a crisis.”
As the school results have been falling the society has gone through dramatic changes. The internet now provides us with almost unlimited and immediate information that has radically changed the way we search for new knowledge and communicate, but digital technology has still not been introduced in the education industry in a significant way. Research and reports worldwide points to the benefits of IT support in education, but the classroom of 2015 still looks like the classroom of 1915.
From the report Laborativ matematikundervisning – vad vet vi? (2010): “Results from both national and international studies show that the school must find better ways to make mathematics teaching meaningful so that more students get a greater interest and a deeper knowledge of mathematics.”
For decades, research and reports have challenged the traditional teaching methods, where the teacher talks and the students passively listen and then repeat what the teacher has said. In its place a student-centered pedagogy has been advocated where students are activated, collaborate and take greater responsibility for their learning. Current research points to the need for a laboratory and inductive approach in schools. Applying this method without an effective learning resource, however, is to demanding for the teacher who must devote much time to prepare the lessons. That is why the method is not used today on a large scale.
From the report The School’s Forgotten Issue (2013): “To lift the entire Swedish school is not something you can do overnight or with a single report. But we would like to highlight one aspect that is often forgotten, and who can give great results for very limited resources: the learning materials. Since 1995, the society’s investments in primary school has risen by 60 percent. During the same period, investments in teaching materials have been allowed to fall by 17 percent.”
Teaching materials account for lees than one percent of the total school budget and has too long been a forgotten issue to solve the school crisis. As for the digitization of the education industry one can get the impression that a lot of money is invested. A significant amount of money is invested in computers, aiming for 1 to 1-education to improve education quality, i.e. one computer per student. On average 1,770 SEK per pupil is invested on computers, but only 27 SEK per pupil goes to digital learning materials to fill the computers with. Previous attempts to integrate technology in schools has not been thought through and a digitization without solid content has been no more than an empty promise.
Too little is invested in digital learning resources.
To meet the needs of tomorrow our current school needs new learning materials. Unlike traditional study materials, iMathematics also meet the demand in the current curriculum of teaching abilities, skills and attitudes.
iMatematik AB has developed an interactive didactic educational resource for five years, which is ready for the Swedish market. It is based on three elements:
Traditional study materials provide a straight line to follow and are packed with facts and formulas that students can learn. The disadvantage is that they can not adapt to the students’ needs. iMathematics have been developed to enable students to work optimally on their own terms, individually or in groups. Problems are randomly generated in a near infinite number of unique combinations so that students can cooperate. Looking at each others’ solutions is no longer cheating, it is preferable.
iMathematics have a great number of advantages. Students are trained in the use of abstract structures and relationships. The education resource, making use of information and communications technology (ICT), lets the students see a cube’s properties by twisting and turning it in a way that can not be done in a book. The teacher no longer needs to waste time by drawing tables, charts and figures on the board. Instead, the learning can begin immediately.
iMathematics are based on three elements.
IT has changed the workplace. Why not the school?
The declining school results speak for themselves. It no longer works to conduct teaching facing passive learners. Today’s information society demands a whole new school that takes advantage of the latest IT capabilities. iMathematics integrate technology that is already mastered by and appeals to students. Meanwhile, the teacher is provided with technologically advanced but easy to use tools that will help them provide a more effective education.
iMathematics consist of two learning resources. imCloud is an internet-based educational resource and cover the entire elementary school mathematics and the first year of secondary school. It is divided into five areas of mathematics.
imDoc is a document based educational resource that is divided into different series thematically. A document can be opened on your computer and offers interactive problem solving. The series contains the targets that the student should learn.
iMathematics have been developed for five years and are now ready for the Swedish market as a test market. We can now offer an innovative and high-tech alternative to traditional learning materials, but we need your support to reach the schools.
We aim to build an organization with departments for support, technical evaluation and marketing. We will test and improve iMathematics in different environments. We will also reach out to parents, teachers and principals, by organizing workshops and seminars.
Your support is important. By investing in iMathematics you transform the current education industry in its foundation.
Together we build the school of tomorrow.
Student centered-learning with the teacher more as a guide.
Swedish reports and articles: