MILAGE APP – MOBILE LEARNING OF MATHEMATICS

Low achievement in mathematics education has been an increasing problem in several countries. Math teachers have a difficult situation. Studying math is many times a cumbersome task. Low achievement in mathematics education has been an increasing problem in the recent years in several countries has seen in the 2012 PISA results.

In this paper, we present the development, in an Erasmus+ project with seven partners from four countries, of a mobile application for the teaching and learning of mathematics. This MILAGE app plans to extend traditional learning environment to a virtual classroom setting that will keep students connected for learning mathematics. This application enables the exploration of video lectures in smartphones, phablets or tablets and uses gamification techniques to keep students motivated.

Mobile devices that are widely available is giving the opportunity to students and teachers to change the teaching/learning process. However, in many countries teachers and students do not use mobile devices for teaching and learning purposes. It is also important to note that these students are the generation of digital games and social networks. In this context it is wise to consider the integration of digital media and mobile devices (iPad, iPod, tablets, smartphones), allowing students to set personal goals, to manage educational content and to communicate with others in the right context. However, according to the EU Commission initiative Opening Up Education (25 September 2013), between 50% and 80% of students in EU countries never use digital textbooks, exercise software, podcasts, simulations or learning games. Most teachers at primary and secondary level do not consider themselves as 'digitally confident' or able to teach digital skills effectively, and 70% would like more training in using ICTs.

This application will contribute for the implementation of a blended model for teaching and learning mathematics. According to a 2010 study from the U.S. Department of Education, blended learning classes produce statistically better results than their face-to-face. The MILAGE app accommodates gaming mechanics two-fold: complexity and detail. It has three different levels of problems complexity: beginners, intermediate and advanced. On the other hand each problem has two levels of explanations/resolutions: detailed and concise.

In this way, all students are accommodated in a learning environment centered in the student. The low-achieving students that may struggle to learn the materials covered in class, can study and repeat the materials as many times as they may need to learn. Students will have access to complex problems and activities that may provide additional stimulation for top performers students. Teachers will also be more confident to give homework activities to their students. It is known that it is important to assign homework, to help struggling or underachieving students to learn the material covered in class, to ensure that the material is stored in students’ long-term memory, or to provide additional stimulation for high performers. But homework can be particularly burdensome for disadvantaged students. Their parents’ may not have the skills to help them, they may not have the resources to support them on private lessons. We aim at providing the same support for all the students so that we can contribute to weaker the relationship between students’ socio-economic background and mathematics performance.