SMART (School Mathematics and the Art of Relevant Teaching) for Deep Understanding

The 2023 study on mathematics teaching in Romanian primary schools, conducted by the British Council under the coordination of Professor Alf Coles (University of Bristol), found that 34% of teachers had either no professional development or less than six hours in total, and 90% of teachers reported wanting training focused on developing problem‑solving skills and addressing students’ individual needs.
Approximately 75% of teachers want training on: mathematics content; math pedagogy; and methods for assessing mathematical knowledge.

The program proposes a set of complex interventions to help primary‑school teachers teach mathematics in a more engaging and accessible way.
Its core outcome is a teacher training program co‑designed by Romanian experts and international experts from the University of Bristol, based on classroom‑validated teaching resources developed by InfinitEdu community teachers.

 

Tools will be created for researching, evaluating, and improving both the teaching resources and the training program. Pilot schools will develop communities of practice for primary teachers, supporting them in implementing the newly developed tools in class.