Alternative Strategy in Latin American Context for Reinforcing Learning of Mathematics in Secondary Education: A Disruptive Innovation

Abstract

This article presents the foundations, characteristics, development, evaluation and lessons learned from the GALILEO TOLIMA TEAM project. This initiative seeks to reinforce grades 10 and 11 in math education, in middle schools where there are math-achieving competence gaps and computers and Internet available for students and their teachers. This problem and improvement opportunities are very common in Latin American middle schools, what makes findings from this report very interesting for them. This study shares lessons learned from innovating math-education learning strategies by using problemic and collaborative approaches implemented with information and collaboration technologies. It shows that standardized test results in math, at high schools participating in the project, depend in good manner from effective participation of students and their teachers in a year-long math thinking competence. Ten authentic problems are biweekly posted through all the school year; small groups with access to computer labs and their teachers participate in the contest. The study proposes an action plan for the second year of the GALILEO TOLIMA TEAM project that builds on hypothesis derived from the first cycle of this educational innovation for high school education.