Deklaratë e përbashkët e Komitetit të Arsimit të Shoqatës së Matematikanëve të Evropës (EMS) dhe Shoqatës Kangourou sans Frontières (AKSF)
Deklarata, me rekomandime, është dërguar tek autoritetet e institucionet arsimore vendim-marrësve dhe tek ekspertët e reformës së kurrikulës shkollore në vendet evropiane dhe më gjerë.
Joint Statement by the Education Committee of the European Mathematical
Society (EMS) and the Association Kangourou sans Frontières (AKSF)
Addressed to educational authorities decision makers and school curriculum reform experts in
European countries and beyond
Promote advancement of mathematical interest and talent through competitions
As documented by various studies like TIMSS or PISA, an overwhelming majority of school students faces
difficulties in learning mathematics. Apart from teachers’ programs that aim at enhancing the teachers’
educational competencies in the field of mathematics, further tools to help cope with this unsatisfactory
situation include targeted curricular changes for the subject Mathematics as well as extra-curricular
offerings to school students.
This joint statement highlights one specific instrument of extra-curricular activities, namely mathematics
competitions. These can both provide a rich potential to promote mathematically gifted students and to
get school students more interested in mathematics. While focusing here on competitions, it should be
emphasized that competitions alone cannot be expected to help to improve the situation on their own.
They can, however, be seen as an important add-on.
Among the many national initiatives with mathematics competitions, two prominent international ones are
highlighted in this statement as examples: The first of these is the Mathematical Olympiad which culminates
in the well-known International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) as an international competition involving
more than 100 countries. The annual competition in its modern form dates back to 1959. This competition
addresses particularly gifted school students who are challenged with new types of non-standard problems.
On the other hand, we also mention the Kangaroo Competition, which is a popular international
mathematics competition taking place in more than 80 countries. The aim of this competition is to get as
many school students as possible interested in mathematics and thereby to contribute to the improvement
of the mathematical performance of our school students at large.
In general, mathematics competitions can serve as an excellent incentive to challenge systematic and logical
thinking as well as to get school students acquainted with the basic concepts of problem-solving. The
following four characteristics emphasize the benefits through competitions:
Motivation – For many participants, the interest in the subject generated by the playful
engagement in the context of a competition translates quite easily into a deeper interaction with
STEAME (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics, Entrepreneurship) subjects in
Talent Discovery – For many future scientists, early participation and success in mathematics
creators are those who are capable of solving new non-standard problems and not just repeating
known mathematical processes.
Precision – The careful solution of problems shows the importance of critical self-reflection and
precision in the creative processes leading to an answer. This aspect is much clearer in the context
of a competition than it often is in the classroom.
Interaction – Communication is sometimes more important than knowledge. Participants in group
competitions are motivated to discuss their ideas and results with their peers. This facilitates social
interaction and the useful exchange of ideas.
