The countrywide project for innovative didactics in primary schools, designed to fight gender gaps, was presented in Naples
“Learning maths at a young age is possible, and fun too. The Matabì project we are launching today is geared towards all Italian boys and girls to help them familiarise with this new subject, approaching a language that is at the base of everything around us. We start in primary school, offering to teachers and classes an original and engaging project, which will be extended across Italy after experimenting with a first edition. Our students – boys, and especially girls – show a lot of talent and curiosity, also for scientific subjects: with Matabì we can support them one step at the time, or should we say one colourful brick at the time, using the simple and universal language of play.”
With these words, John Elkann, CEO of Exor and Chairman of Fondazione Agnelli, summed up the mission of the Matabì project, presented in Naples at the “38° Circolo Giuseppe Quarati” school where Marina Esposito is principal.
Matabì is a project for innovative didactics meant to improve maths learning and reduce gender gaps, starting from primary school, by developing visual-spatial skills that are the crucial requirements to understand mathematical concepts and relations in a more direct way, through a method that progresses from concrete to abstract terms. The strong game-inspired component of the project makes learning more cooperative and appealing, lessening any worries – or even anxiety – boys and especially girls may feel about maths.
The project is promoted by Exor and carried out by Fondazione Agnelli in collaboration with Politecnico di Torino, with support from The LEGO Foundation.
In 88 classrooms in different cities across Italy, including 30 in the Naples metropolitan area and 9 in the very school where the presentation took place, children and teachers are already experimenting with the project today. Alongside John Elkann, the event also welcomed Anita Tabacco, professor of the “G. L. Lagrange” Department of Mathematical Sciences of Politecnico di Torino, who explained the pedagogic foundation of the project and its didactic proposal in detail.
The project’s impact is assessed in collaboration with CRENoS – Università di Cagliari.
The kits were assembled by Il Sogno Social Cooperative – Domodossola.
Discover more on https://matabi.it/
