“Maths to play” is a webzine, carried out thanks to the collaboration of students from three european schools within eTwinning (European Union eLearning programme). The project aims at spreading scientific culture among students and citizens, since this is firmly believed to be a fundamental element of social and economic empowerment. It implements a non-traditional approach to Maths, through which students can learn “by playing”, but also by reflecting on the deepest meaning of this subject.

The project won the 2007 Global Junior Challenge Award.

The project is based on the 2000 Lisbon strategy, which aims at making the European Union the most competitive knowledge-based economy in the world. Scientific knowledge is necessary to promote European citizens’ social inclusion and democratic participation. Students are often scared by the most technical aspects and by the exact language of Maths. The project implements a non-traditional approach to this subject, promoting a playful and creative, but also precise dimension.

The project helps teenagers to understand that scientific culture is a form of human knowledge, focusing on topics which develop their imagination and curiosity and are linked to their experience.

The methodology exploits the students’ direct investigations and stimulates them to ask questions, to look for answers, even wrong, and to correct them. Through this kind of work, they can apply the methodology of the scientific research and strengthen their ability to use their knowledge in everyday situations.

The project aims at:

• making students aware of their choices and more active citizens,
• changing their stereotyped and conventional idea of Maths and creating a new link between Science and society
• Improving students’ motivation and knowledge of Maths, involving also teachers of different subjects
• Favouring the choice of Maths in University studies
• Giving value to Maths through the reflection about the common heritage of values offered by important European mathematicians
• Promoting European citizenship through the acquisition of shared values and interests.

The following important milestones have already been achieved by “Maths to play”:

• A “maths” webzine addressed to students and citizens all over the world with articles written and published by students of the cooperating schools
• Two eTwinning projects. Liceo Ginnasio “Duni”, the promoting school, has twinned with Lycée classique di Diekirch (Luxembourg) and Lycée classique “Gaspard Monge” (France). The students of these schools actively work together, publishing their works on the site.

• 2007 Global Junior Challenge Award – the project got a special prize from the President of the Italian Republic

The project is completely and specifically based on the use of ICT and could not exist without it. Students have created a cooperative website, in which they publish their works, at the address: http://www2.edu.fi/magazinefactory/magazines/mathstoplay/index.php

Students and teachers have communicated by e-mail or chat, using microphones and webcam.

A large space has been left to students’ creativity. In fact they have used the digital camera to explore reality and look for the Maths inside it. Students have watched their towns, their schools and everyday objects, catching, through the camera “eye”, mathematical properties and links. Even the ancient finds of Matera Archeological Museum have been object of this kind of study. After they have worked them out with specific softwares and have created the web pages. They have also produced a short video of the project.

The project can be replicated by any school or educational organization. It does not need a demanding level of technology, organization, professional resources. Its transferability is ensured by the fact that The Central Support Service of eTwinning has chosen it as a best practice and has inserted it in a gallery to be viewed by anyone who is interested in replicating it or being inspired by it at the address http://www.etwinning.net/ww/it/pub/etwinning/ideas_and_practice/gallery.cfm

The project is carried out through the cooperation of the students of the twinned schools. ICTs make this kind of work possible, putting teenagers of different and far geographical contexts in close contact. Students carry out the website together and make it richer and more interesting day after day with their works. The different site sections (history of Mathematics, maths games, maths in real life, interviews, etc.) have been added as a consequence of the students’ growing interests for these topics and thanks to the suggestions originated from the continuous exchange of ideas among European mates. The discussion among students, but also among teachers, takes place by e-mail or chat. In the next weeks we are going to use the new highly innovative platform Elluminate that permits students’ online real time interaction and is part of my school equipment.