Fun maths & arts – Madeira 

As part of the Erasmus + KA2 project “Playing with maths”, students from Croatia, Greece, Turkey and the French school participated in mobility to the island of Madeira from 21 to 27 November 2021.

This is the first mobility in which students who were selected in 2019 in the Erasmus group participated, but due to the pandemic, they have only now been given the opportunity to travel to mobility.

In addition to the representatives of our school, Madeira was attended by students and teachers from France, Greece, Turkey and, of course, native Portugal.

Madeira is a subtropical island located in the Atlantic Ocean, 500 km from the African mainland and 1100 km from its native Portugal. It has the same temperature almost all year round (daily over twenty Celsius), is rich in tropical fruits such as bananas, passion fruit, lemons, etc.

It is exclusively a tourist destination throughout the year.

The aim of this mobility was to get to know students, participate in joint math workshops, exchange experiences and intercultural interaction.

The hosts prepared a rich program, the first day we visited the host school in Campanari, a place about 20 minutes away from the capital Funchal, where we were accommodated. After the introductory ceremony, we visited the local printing museum.

From other days we would highlight a visit to indigenous rich houses and buildings, a cable car ride to a unique tropical garden in the mountains, a visit to the ethnographic museum, old town, local winery, mineral museum, volcanic caves, shark aquarium and natural sea pools amid volcanic rocks.

Math workshops for students were held every afternoon, as the main goal of this project is to create a publicly available math manual, which will present instructions on how to learn math through play.

Our students have made a great contribution to the development of this manual and have participated in numerous mathematical games and exercises. After the afternoon activities, students and teachers had free time to swim in the very warm Atlantic Ocean.

Everyday interaction with other students and teachers, as well as the culture and customs of the local population on the island, indigenous food in local restaurants, music from the streets, etc. have greatly influenced our own knowledge and experience, as well as understanding and respect for other cultures.

We returned from Madeira full of impressions, surprised by the kindness of the hosts, the smells of fruits and spices and irradiated with the positive energy of the locals, but also richer in mathematical learning and teaching skills.

Students gained experience and saw a different way of learning mathematics, and teachers were given clear instructions and ideas on how to make math classes different and, of course, more interesting.

Due to the exceptional contribution of our teachers and students who left a strong impression on the principal, further cooperation and the establishment of new projects was agreed with the local school in Campanari.

This project is funded by the Erasmus + projects of the European Union through the Agency for Mobility and EU Programs of the Republic of Croatia. The next mobility of students and teachers is planned for March 2022 in the Greek city of Xanthi, near the Aegean Sea, and then the Croatian household to these partners in May 2022.