The teaching and learning of mathematics remains a challenge, as evidenced by international data on school outcomes or the interest in choosing careers that involve maths (EACEA/Eurydice, 2011).

It should also be noted that research has evidenced the importance of motivational factors in school performance in mathematics, in particular intrinsic motivation (e.g. EACEA/Eurydice, 2011). The relevance of the implementation and analysis of teaching and learning strategies that contribute to the motivation to learn mathematics is justified.

vidumath (ERASMUS+ Nr: VG-SPS-BE-15-24-013795) aims to contribute to the teaching and learning of Mathematics through the production of videos by students about key concepts of Mathematics.  The project aims to explore motivational strategies that promote the interest for mathematics and in this way its learning.

vidumath is contributing to this discussion with innovative teaching methods that are taken from the ideas within the rich technology ecosystem that surrounds video production. Today video is a very common form of communication that most young people enjoy. Video is a very motivating tool and brings in many different facets compared to a conventional textbook. The moving image can help to illustrate more complex structures and can more easily connect with the real world.

The core idea of vidumath is that children themselves become the active part of the video production process.  In this process, using systematic but creative thinking, mathematical content will be re-worked and visualised. vidumath promotes content produced by the learners themselves, which is a  less common teaching and learning strategy.

This work presents evaluation results of a vidumath workshop implemented with 28 students. In addition to a short description of the project, and of the processes implemented, data about students’ satisfaction and perception of learning are presented.

vidumath activity was developed in a primary school, in Trondheim, Norway. Students developed the activity at school with other colleagues in three classes, 4 hours for each class. Participants were 28 students from grade 6, 18 boys and 10 girls and the teacher. The activity lasted about 4 hours and the plan was the following: • 60 minutes - introduction, instructions, and group planning; • 60 to 120 minutes - production of the video. • 30 minutes - find music, create a title and complete credits; • 30 minutes – evaluation. Students used smartphones, tablets and Windows Movie Maker to produce the video. The general steps proposed in vidumath task sheet to produce a stop motion video about equivalent fractions were followed: - Collect an idea. - Prepare your story: sketch out your story, this is called making a storyboard, and prepare all objects and background. - Record you story: Now the photo session can begin. - Take a photo; Move your object slightly. - Take another photo; Move your object again …. (do this at least 80 times). - Check up on your story: You can easily pre-view your story in the camera. Just quickly go through all images to see if your animation works. - Finalise your story: Once you have got all images import them into MovieMaker. You will need a very short duration time for each still image to get the animation effect (something like a 10th of a second). Add titles and music and export all;. - Share your results: reflect on the process of the project and the result, show the clips to each other, discuss them and share them online. Materials used were lego, clay, jellymen, scissors and were provided by teachers. At the end of vidumath activity, students filled a questionnaire, a short version of the Task Evaluation Questionnaire (Decy & Ryan, s/d). This is a version of the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (IMI), a multidimensional measurement device intended to assess participants’ subjective experience and intrinsic motivation while developing an activity. The questionnaire addresses interest/enjoyment, perceived competence, perceived choice and pressure/tension, perceived usefulness and effort. A questionnaire with open questions about the implementation of vidumath activity and perception of learning was also used.

Students produced 24 videos. Answers to the Task Evaluation Questionnaire pointed out that vidumath activity was perceived as very interesting. Students also considered that they were able to develop well the activity and that they had some autonomy to develop it, but they scored the dimension of perceived choice in a medium level. They referred a lower level of tension and pressure while developing the activity and a high level of effort to develop it. Students scored high in the item “This activity is useful for learning equivalent fractions”. There was a positive statistically significant correlation between Interest and Perception of learning about equivalent fractions, as well as between Enjoyment and Perception of Learning. Answers to the open questions “What did you learn with this activity?” were analyzed through content analysis method. Four categories were identified: "Learning about videos", "Learning about Maths", "Learning about videos and Maths", "Nothing". "Learning about Maths" was the most frequent subcategory: students referred more frequently that they learned about equivalent fractions and learned math in a funny way while developing the activity.

Deci, E & Ryan, R. (s/d) Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (pdf document). EACEA/Eurydice, 2011. O Ensino da Matemática na Europa: Desafios Comuns e Políticas Nacionais. Taken and the Current Situation in Europe. Brussels: EACEA/Eurydice. ISBN 978-92-9201-259-5; doi:10.2797/81606