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Location: Pamplona, Spain / Number of students: 418
Grades using Innovamat: Elementary school / Using Innovamat since: 2021
We met Jacobo Rey, principal of the school, who commented: “There is one thing we liked about Innovamat, which is that it was possible to do it simultaneously throughout elementary. And that was a challenge.” Innovamat is a comprehensive curriculum, ranging from kindergarten to middle school, offering a playful and motivating approach to teaching math.
Esti Azanza, 1st grade teacher, says that something that really adds value for teachers is that Innovamat offers a different way of learning math, students play, experiment and learn to reason. Innovamat has enabled them to learn in a participatory way. Practical activities, applicable to everyday life, encourage students to see the usefulness of mathematics in their lives. In the same vein, Esti adds:
“You are adding with money. When you go to a store you will use money, not chickens or chairs. I think this math has a bigger impact.”
Raúl Astrain, also a teacher at La Compasión, highlights that Innovamat is a curriculum that respects the learning rhythms of each student. “It adapts well to what our students need,” he says. Jacobo Rey agrees with Raúl and says that children come to school more motivated and that they have seen the effectiveness of the curriculum in their own learning.
In addition, teachers highlight the value of it being an open and adaptable curriculum, not only for teachers, but also for students, regardless of their understanding of mathematics. This form of learning — which is not limited to teaching a session, which can be somewhat monotonous — generates a positive change in students when learning math, which can even be seen in the expression of their faces in class.
And what has the response of the families been? Have they seen the value Innovamat brings to their children’s education?
According to Esti, families sometimes struggle to understand curriculums like this as they go beyond traditional activities that have been used for years. However, Jacobo highlights the huge acceptance that Innovamat has had among the families in the school. Although they do not have a traditional textbook, they have seen that children are much more motivated and can reason and work ahead. “It provides the students with a wider range of strategies they can use in their daily lives This way, students will be able to use the strategy that best suits their way of thinking,” explains Iranzu Zarranz, 4th grade teacher. Esti adds that these students who can explore further, will explore further, because “being such open activities, they cover all students: those in the middle, those who can explore further and those who need more time”.
Jacobo Rey, school principal
It therefore appears that families have understood Innovamat’s competency-based approach and see that it has enabled their children to explore mathematics more deeply. They’ve seen that it works. Their support and understanding have been key factors in the curriculum’s development at the school. Thanks to Innovamat, children have learned to enjoy math in a different way and develop their creativity and ability to reason.
