The work on the free EuroMath platform, which facilitates learning mathematics for blind and visually impaired students and mathematics teachers, is at the final stage. Instruction videos, Quick Start Guides, manuals and other support materials are now available.
The EuroMath internet platform is created as a result of collaboration of scientists with NASK PIB (coordinator), the Dublin City University of Ireland (DCU) and the Dutch Royal Expert Center for the blind and visually impaired Koninklijke VISIO (Royal VISIO). These institutions form the Strategic Partnership for Innovation in Education and implement a project co-financed from the Erasmus + program under the title "EuroMath - enhanced support to teachers and learners with visual impairments in inclusive educational settings through innovative ICT-based math instruction".
To help visually impaired and blind students
The EuroMath project is coming to an end in June this year. It is intended to provide greater support in mathematical education to teachers and students who are blind and with visual impairments. Ultimately, it is about equalizing the chances of these students in acquiring mathematical competence at the level of primary and secondary school.
EuroMath supports math teachers in lessons - also remote
The already working prototype of EuroMath technology allows teachers to prepare materials for mathematics lessons in the traditional version, as well as in Braille, using one of 4 formula editors and a graphic editor. At a time when organizing online lessons has become so important, the EuroMath platform can be used during individual and group classes. It has an important advantage - it increases the independence of a blind student in learning mathematics. Can support the "flipped classroom" learning model.
The platform has a repository of open mathematical educational resources, which includes methodological materials for teachers, lesson plans, student work cards, exercises, tests and many other helpful resources ready to be used in the lesson and at home, when the student works alone.
The resources were prepared by mathematics teachers of students with visual impairments from schools in the Netherlands, Ireland and Poland and are available in Polish and English. Student worksheets in the classroom, at home, tests and exercises are accessible for blind and visually impaired students, as well as for sighted students.
EuroMath also contains a collection of practical examples on how to best teach blind and visually impaired children. Explaining some mathematical problems to blind students, e.g. what a geometrical figure looks like, can be a big challenge for a teacher, especially in classrooms where sighted children predominate. That is why this innovative platform gives practical tools that show how to best translate such issues to children of all ages.
Over 40 instructional videos
The channel of the EuroMath platform is already available videos explaining the operation of the EuroMath application to teachers. They are grouped on the list EuroMath: Instructional video for math teachers (English version). They concern, among others how to start working with the EuroMath application, what are its functions, how formula editors and graphics editor work, and how a visually impaired or blind student can learn mathematical content on their own.
The originators of EuroMath hope that it will be possible to integrate information technologies into mathematical education to a greater extent and disseminate them as good educational practices, not only in Ireland, the Netherlands and Poland, but also in other European countries. Especially since EuroMath can also be used by all mathematics teachers, not just teaching students with visual impairments. Easy editing of formulas from the QWERTY keyboard, also in Braille, may encourage you to use EuroMath.
Project results are published on the portal, here you can find current information about EuroMath.