CañaMA+

For more than 127 years, the San Antonio Foundation has been working on the comprehensive protection of boys and girls (6 to 17 years old) in conditions of vulnerability and risk of social exclusion in Colombia. Within our programs REDES, schools for free time. We have a project called CañaMA+. That seeks to strengthen and enhance the logical-mathematical skills articulated in the Basic Learning Rights, to complement and enhance the academic processes of children and adolescents.

The children beneficiaries of the CañaMA+ program and their families share a series of socioeconomic characteristics that are highly relevant to mention. In the first place, household income is located, in most cases, below the Colombian minimum wage gap, which for the year 2019 was $877,802 COP. In this aspect, it is important to highlight that 44.1% of the households of the program participants do not reach the monthly income classified as minimum to guarantee basic needs that allow their members to lead a decent life.

Of greater concern is that 12.2% of households have incomes significantly below the minimum wage, being classified as poor according to said poverty line, and 8.4% of households with monthly incomes below the line of extreme poverty or indigence. . In total, it is possible to ensure that at least 64.7% of the households of the participants have incomes below the minimum wage, with the nuances of seriousness previously mentioned, placing them in a situation of vulnerability from an economic perspective . This has the direct effect on children and adolescents of the increase in other vulnerabilities closely related to the household's economic income, for example: vulnerability to not having a good state of health, vulnerability to not being educated, environmental and natural vulnerability, among others.

On the other hand, we have been able to identify throughout so many years of work that the vulnerabilities are not only in economic matters. Colombia has faced an internal armed conflict for more than 50 years that has generated the forced displacement of more than 2 million people, especially to urban areas of the country such as Bogotá, the country's capital. Many of the areas where we have a presence are home to people who are victims of the conflict. In addition, the recent migratory crisis derived from the situation of political instability in Venezuela has caused a massive displacement of people to the urban areas of the country. In our program we also welcome migrant boys and girls by restoring their social and educational rights.

When inquiring about the learning strategies and/or methodologies that have the best results with Children, specifically for the development and strengthening of mathematical skills, it is important to take into account if these are characterized by the use of memorization, if they make use of materials that allow connect previous knowledge and skills with those that are being acquired, if they are characterized by linking knowledge with daily applications, among others. Another aspect of great relevance when defining a methodology focused on learning and working with NNA, in the field of interest of the CañaMA+ program, has to do with the preferences of this public regarding collaborative or competitive learning situations, since these provide essential skills for the demands of the current labor market, and additionally, they have become an important component of the educational process. (Wang, MacCann, Zhuang, Liu, & Roberts, 2009).

 

In accordance with the above, the methodology to be implemented by the CañaMA+ program is of a mixed nature, seeking to take advantage of different practices and approaches to maximize the experience of children and adolescents with the technological tools proposed by the program. These methodological approaches are: experience as a learning path and Design Thinking. Additionally, a fundamental pillar of the methodology has to do with the nature of the tools offered by the program to achieve the proposed objectives. These tools can be understood as the vehicle to achieve the development and strengthening of logical-mathematical skills in children and adolescents, which will be in the case of CañaMA+ Information and Communication Technologies -ICT-.

Both approaches and the previously mentioned vehicle are explained below:

 

Experience as a learning path

CañaMA+ understands that children and adolescents are intellectually imaginative, creative, active, and promoters of their own development. In this sense, all program participants have the ability to innovate, reason, think critically, solve problems, disagree, feel, think and express themselves according to their interaction with reality. This set of skills and abilities are achieved through interaction with their peers, the facilitators, and the reality that induces them to question and challenge themselves on a daily basis.

Away from traditional pedagogical models where repetition and verification of truths prevail, the CañaMA+ program focuses its procedure on experiential learning based on verification and experimentation of reality: learning is a path that the subject takes to know himself and get to know their own environment, through group work and cooperation between peers and facilitators, to unveil and discover not only reality, but also solutions to their personal and community needs and problems.

So, in the CañaMA+ program, activities that base their actions on the experiential methodology are privileged, which focuses on elucidating the cognitive learning processes related to experiences and identifying the ways in which the learning processes are carried out (Gómez Pawelek, nd). From this methodology, there are two main types of activities: perception, which are the ways in which information is captured, and processing, or the way in which information is processed and transformed into useful and usable knowledge in other instances. The learning cycle of this methodology involves 4 major steps, namely:

 

1. Carry out a specific experience

2. Reflection on the experience that occurred, establishing a connection between what was done and the results obtained (reflective observation)

3. Through the reflections made, conclusions and generalizations are obtained that are general principles referred to a broader set of circumstances (abstract conceptualization)

4. Conclusions obtained are tested in practice, using them to guide future actions.

 

The experiential approach takes into account the needs of the CañaMA+ program participant, its intention is based on the relationship of new ideas with previously acquired knowledge, the relationship of previous knowledge with new ideas and the relationship of concepts with everyday experience.

It is important to mention that there are three fundamental pillars of experiential education: the challenge, the learning comfort zone, and feedback. In the first pillar, the challenge, engages individuals to get out of their comfort zone, by placing participants in situations in which they feel emotionally, physically and mentally challenged. These challenges imply that each participant can get involved to a greater or lesser degree with the activities that take place, depending on their motivation to leave their comfort zone.

For its part, the comfort zone in learning implies the conformation of a physical, psychological, cognitive, emotional space by the teacher towards his students or participants that allows the reciprocal interaction of an individual with his environment, managing to experience feelings of tranquility, security and comfort, being able to carry out any proposed task.

Finally, feedback seeks for the participants to interact with each other to make known what they have learned in the experiences, behaviors, thoughts and feelings that occurred during the session. This allows the groups to analyze and explain the meaning of the activity carried out, its purpose, its objective and its pedagogical meaning (what happened and why it happened). As he points out, feedback generates connections between the activity carried out and what is experienced in daily life, seeking to stimulate the internalization of the issues learned through spaces for reflection and internalization of the activities carried out, allowing the discovery of elements of change to understand what worked and what didn't work.

 

Design Thinking: Empathy, creativity and rationality to deal with everyday problems

Design Thinking is a methodology that entered the world of design, but in the first decade of the 21st century it emerged as an educational method due to the massification of technological educational environments and current social needs. As an interdisciplinary methodological strategy, its purpose is to mix cognitive elements such as creativity, innovation and logical analysis to solve everyday problems. In other words, Design Thinking is based on the understanding of people's needs, mental and affective identification, creative thinking, experimentation and critical thinking, to solve community problems or conflicts (Pelta Resano, 2011)

In short, Design Thinking is a people-centered methodology that seeks to solve everyday problems, based on interdisciplinarity, multiculturalism, and the exchange of experiences among those involved.

Now, the steps to apply this methodology within the framework of the CañaMA+ program are as follows:

 

1. Define the problem: In other words, the participants must define the correct problem that will be resolved through the exchange of knowledge and ideas. Teamwork is essential in this phase to analyze and clearly define the area of intervention, which involves participation and review of possibilities before starting the creation process; this review should be done directly on where the problem occurs to have multiple possibilities of resolution.

2. Create and consider multiple options: This stage means not staying with the first solution we find to the problem, but rather listing and exhausting the multiple options and possible solutions. In other words, in this phase the battery of solution options to the problem faced is formulated.

3. Refine the selected options: In this phase, the defined options are integrated, complemented and superimposed in a prioritized battery of solutions; In addition, the design possibilities that may have greater advantage or potential are complemented and refined.

4. Select an alternative solution: In this stage, the winner is chosen and the idea is executed. At this stage, prototypes and tests must be created to solve the problem. In this phase, in addition, the participation of experts is required to validate the proposed solution and allow the refining of the idea.

 

Thus, the experiential methodology within the framework of the CañaMA+ program brings children and adolescents closer to the different daily situations they face in relation to mathematical knowledge to provide evidence of its value on a day-to-day basis. Likewise, it places children and adolescents as the center and focus of the pedagogical processes promoted by the program to encourage a critical reading of reality and the motivation to learn mathematics. At this point, it is clarified that the CañaMA+ program does not seek to replace the learning process that by nature and law corresponds to formal education entities, that is, schools, moreover, it intends to strengthen said processes through informal education. to ensure the academic success of children. CañaMA+, must be understood as a fundamental ally of educational institutions in the pedagogy of the mathematical discipline.

On the other hand, the Design Thinking approach brings children closer to innovative thinking for solving not only mathematical but everyday problems. This approach is presented as a complement to the given experiential approach, it provides a clear route for the definition of the problems faced, the analysis of the solution alternatives (which is very close to logical thinking), and the implementation of solutions. The learning environments and spaces proposed by the CañaMA+ program are in constant transformation based on the relationships developed between the NNA and the facilitators, thus allowing motivation and stimulation in the thinking of the aforementioned public.

 

Information and Knowledge Technologies (ICT)

 

According to the ICFES (2017) in education, ICTs have been shown to be an effective means of achieving educational objectives by promoting autonomous learning, favoring the development of new skills and allowing children to associate the content they learn with situations of life. real life. Additionally, the continuous and accelerated development of computers and technological devices means that skills in the use of ICTs represent an important input for the teaching and learning processes. In this sense, the advancement of science and technology requires individuals capable of innovating and making use of new tools (DNP, 2014). In the case of the development of mathematical skills, it can be seen how a growing set of technological tools is available for use in mathematics classes, contributing to the construction of solutions or problem solving (UNESCO, 2013). These dynamic, graphical, numerical and visual applications provide new opportunities for facilitators and children to explore and represent mathematical concepts.

On the other hand, a questionnaire applied by the ICFES in 2014, in conjunction with the Saber 3, 5 and 9 test, inquired in the NNA about their perception of the use of computers, the possession of computers at home and the different uses of ICT at home and within the school they attend. The results of this questionnaire provide relevant information for the analysis of the usefulness of ICT in the learning processes carried out by children and adolescents inside and outside educational establishments.

 

● 78% of children and adolescents in Bogotá, and 69% of children and adolescents in Soacha have a desktop or laptop computer at home in Bogotá

● 49% of children in Bogotá, and 52% of children in Soacha use the computer in class to study mathematical principles and concepts in Bogotá

 

According to the above information, the CañaMA+ program uses ICT as the main vehicle and/or tool for the development of logical-mathematical skills in children and adolescents. Within the framework of this program, said tools are the Ludapps, used in the sessions of the program for the development of mathematical competences. These Ludapps are free source games available online with the following features:

 

● They are categorized and consolidated in a grid where the age range of the users to whom it is directed is specified.

● They develop and/or strengthen one or several mathematical skills depending on their nature.

● They have passed a piloting process to guarantee their effectiveness with NNA.

● They are dynamic, interactive, and aesthetically appealing.

● They are designed to be used individually.

● They favor the exchange, relationship, and healthy competition among the participants.

The CañaMA+ program works in four training cycles

a) Cycle I, Children from 6 to 7 years old.
b) Cycle II, Children from 8 to 10 years old.
c) Cycle III, Children from 11 to 13 years old.
d) Cycle IV, Children  from 14 to 17 years old.

The beneficiary children of our program have a socioeconomic condition that makes them vulnerable or at risk of social exclusion. In addition, many of them are victims of the internal armed conflict in Colombia or are victims of forced displacement. Likewise, as a result of the political instability of the neighboring country of Venezuela, we have received a significant number of migrant children in a situation of vulnerability as a result of the migration of their families.

The CañaMA+ program aims to develop and strengthen logical-mathematical skills in the children of the REDES program, free time schools of the San Antonio Foundation, motivating their interest in them and providing evidence of their practical value in daily life. Likewise, improve the academic performance of the children who participate in the project. Increase the percentage of access to higher education. Increase success rates and school permanence. We achieve this by promoting a space of inclusion for the children of the REDES program, schools for free time that allow them to approach the world of mathematics through computing. Evidencing the application of mathematics in the daily lives of children and its value for professional and vocational achievement. Developing pedagogical methods based on technological, didactic, interactive, and innovative tools that promote the learning process of children regarding mathematical logical skills.

The San Antonio Foundation has been working uninterruptedly for more than 127 years for the most vulnerable children in Colombia. We have a mandate for the comprehensive care of children in situations of social exclusion, to guarantee the restoration of their social, cultural and academic rights. More than 20 years ago we started working on the REDES program, schools for free time. Since we started we have been able to welcome more than 33,000 children. Our team is made up of professionals with the highest standards of training and commitment. Our attention to the beneficiary children of our programs is comprehensive; they receive academic training, psychosocial and nutritional support, and strengthening of their artistic and recreational skills. We have a physical presence on the ground, we work hand in hand with the families and communities that are part of the environment of the children who benefit from our programs. What makes our intervention logic even more comprehensive since we improve the life of communities to improve vulnerable or risk environments in which children live daily.

We are applying to the MIT Solve because we believe that our program has had significant success in strengthening the mathematical skills of the children who benefit from the program. We now have a greater challenge, to be able to systematize this process and grow hand in hand with allies in order to reach more beneficiary children. For this project in particular, we could use the financing to enhance the technological resources we have and pay for the cost of teaching staff who are in charge of training and accompanying the beneficiary children.

Alpha Phase (2016)

 

The first phase in the design of the program started with the formation of a team of university students who will carry out an investigation of the free games available on the Internet that have the ability to link with different concepts and mathematical skills according to their nature. As a guiding principle of this research, the BLRs were taken into account, in this way, it was proposed as a goal to find at least 10 games that had the ability to develop, strengthen, or work with each DBA for the subject of mathematics. For each game found, the student team developed a file to systematize all the necessary information (photo of the interface, language, description, etc.) and it was rated according to criteria (curiosity, practical use, entertainment, capable of transmitting, easy to use). use) previously defined by the FPdC technical team. These criteria, beyond being absolute, sought to be the guide for the analysis and rating of each game, so their weight varied depending on the game analyzed (for example, if a game did not have much mathematical content, but was very fun , the game happened because the qualifying team had to put themselves in the shoes of the children who would be users of the game). As part of the scoring methodology, two people within the student team were assigned to each identified game, who had to reach a consensus [1]regarding the final rating.

 

Within the qualification process, a validation was carried out by a mathematical professional, who determined whether the games actually had a direct relationship with mathematical skills and abilities determined by the BLR. The criteria for this second instance of qualification were:

 

• The game is or could be interesting for the beneficiary population.
• The duration of the game is reasonable and optimizes the user experience.
• The content of the game has a clear and direct relationship with some DBA.
• The game has an educational impact.
• The game and its activities are easy to use.

 

Finally, this second instance of qualification was more rigorous and allowed for an initial prioritization related to the viability and relevance of each game for the objectives of the program. In general, the scores assigned by the qualification teams had a significant alignment with the validation scores. However, the focus of the validation was the pedagogical use of each game within the children's learning process and its relationship with the BLR.

 

Once the games that passed the initial qualification and their respective validation had been defined, a grid of games and/or viable recreational applications was formed that would go on to the next stage, practice.

 

This stage was developed in the Redes de Santa Margarita center [2]of the San Antonio Foundation, located in the Domingo Laín neighborhood in the town of Ciudad Bolívar in Bogotá (Colombia), since a series of optimal variables were identified [3]to implement the pilot of assessment and practice by children.

 

Then, groups of children divided by age were formed as follows. A first group, which would be called " chiquis " for children from 6 to 11 years of age [4]; and another group of "big" for children from 12 to 17 years of age. With these groups, test sessions were carried out where the children went to a room in which there were computers with the games activated randomly. The children could decide which one caught their attention and play it.

 

At this stage, the rating team had the task of observing the children and their relationship with the available games. Specifically, the aim was to identify the aspects that most attracted the children's attention in each game, the competitiveness generated in the groups, the motivation and/or joy of each child when playing, among others. In this way, the observers could determine the games that the children liked the most .

 

Finally, the games that passed the initial qualification, validation, and practice filters were included in a catalog with their respective description and general information. Additionally, the qualifying team made a series of pedagogical recommendations for using the game in learning processes.

 

Beta Phase (2017)

 

This phase meant the continuation of the CañaMA+ design process and had as its starting point the catalog of games validated in the Alpha phase.

 

The main focus of this phase was the implementation of a pilot test with the games in the catalog to establish the children's satisfaction with each available tool. It is necessary to remember that the practical test of the previous phase involved an intuitive and punctual exercise in which the children played the games that most caught their attention and there was a team of raters who observed the reactions of the users. In the Beta phase, this exercise was further deepened, seeking that each of the games in the catalog be tested by at least 80% of the children and thus guarantee that the perception of the qualifying team was verified by the evidenced taste of all. users during the game.

 

For this, new test and observation sessions were carried out [5]three times a week (on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday). The criteria that were sought to identify or qualify during these sessions were very similar to those used in the previous phase, however some adjustments were made to obtain more useful information. The criteria were: the children visibly express joy when playing, the children visibly express a triumph when completing the game in a satisfactory manner, the children spontaneously help others in trouble; children spontaneously entered a group, children requested the help of a facilitator to play the game, children lost interest in the game, children became frustrated during the game.

 

The qualification was carried out quantitatively by the qualifying team and allowed a debugging of the game catalog.

 

Beta Phase (2018)

 

The Beta phase lasted two years. In its second year, that is, in the year 2018, it was identified that in the game catalog there were certain BLRs that did not yet have a sufficient number of games, and even some where there were no games available at all. This, as a consequence of the validation and debugging carried out. For this reason, a new team of students was formed to search for online games and their subsequent qualification, validation, and testing. In this way, during the second year of the Beta phase, the objective was to correct the gaps or insufficiency of games that existed in each DBA. However, there was a significant change in terms of testing by users since it was decided to expand this exercise to two additional Redes centers of the San Antonio Foundation. In this way, it was also sought to test the results obtained so far according to the appreciations of children from different contexts. The new centers in which the test was implemented were Santo Domingo and Lucero, also in the town of Ciudad Bolívar in Bogotá.

 

Gamma Phase (2019)

 

This phase, also called "Focus on the child", begins when there is already a robust catalog of games for each BLR, and contemplates a first pilot for the implementation of said games in the three Redes centers where the tests with the children had been carried out. It is also called Focus on the child, because it implies putting into practice the pedagogical strategies formulated as a recommendation in the previous phases to guarantee that the users of the games develop an evident interest in mathematics and in this way achieve the strengthening of the competencies determined by the BLR.

 

In this phase, a rigorous training process was carried out for the implementation team made up of professionals in mathematics who would play the role of facilitators during the game sessions of the program. The Focus on the child implies that the facilitators follow in special detail the individual process of each child , identifying possible difficulties in implementing high-impact strategies aimed at breaking down the negative preconceptions towards mathematics present in the target population to enhance learning.

 

On the other hand, the games are renamed Ludapps , taking into account their playful nature. It seeks to promote the understanding of these tools as applications that, through play, develop the interest and taste of children to strengthen mathematical skills. Beyond a game that only seeks the user's fun, Ludapps have a clear objective in terms of children's learning and take advantage of the game as the main methodological input.

 

As an additional point in this phase, a series of necessary tools are developed to carry out the activities and meet the objectives initially agreed by CañaMA+. The developed tools are:

 

Diagnostic Assessment: This assessment is designed to diagnose each participant's weaknesses based on the math competencies they should have for their age and grade level, according to the BLR. This is the starting input to develop an individual work plan for each child according to the available Ludapps and their focal points for improvement in mathematical skills.

 

Intermediate evaluation: this tool is applied in the middle of the annual process of each child to see the level of progress in terms of strengthening and developing mathematical skills. With these results, facilitators can implement additional strategies for those competencies that still have low scores, or make changes to each child's individual work plan.

 

Summative evaluation : it is the final evaluation of the program's annual cycle, according to which compliance with each child's individual work plan and the efficiency of Ludapps for the development and strengthening of mathematical skills are determined.

 

Deferred evaluation: corresponds to the evaluation of the effectiveness of each Ludapp . Once a child has developed all the activities, levels, exercises, etc. Proposed by each Ludapp , you must carry out this evaluation to determine if the concepts and/or mathematical skills worked through the Ludapp were appropriate for the child.

 

Search engine: through this tool, a cross is made between the results of the diagnostic evaluation of each child and the Ludapps catalog . As a result, the tool identifies the Ludapps that, according to their characteristics, have the greatest relevance and impact for the development and/or strengthening of mathematical skills. The facilitator has the task of using this input to create an individual work plan for the participants.

 

Finally, it is important to emphasize that the aforementioned tools were developed by the implementation team with the essential support of the FPdC, who provided all the necessary technical advice to identify the needs of the program for its expansion phase, analyze the results obtained to date, and build the tools.

 

The Gamma phase of CañaMA+ ends at the end of 2019, and in this way the program design process also ends. Future actions are focused on its expansion and implementation in new territories as described below.

 

Expansion and implementation in new territories (2020-2024)

 

After 4 years of designing and prototyping CañaMA+, the San Antonio Foundation decides to include this program as a structural part of its Social Management offer, specifically from the academic component of the Networks program. This decision is reflected in the strategic plan of the Foundation valid for 2019-2024 (Fundación San Antonio, 2019). For this reason, and due to the positive results obtained to date, it was decided to begin the expansion process to the other FSA centers where the practice sessions had not yet taken place. In total, there are 8 centers where the program will operate from the year 2020, as detailed in the "Exact Geographical Location" section.

 

This new phase of the program implies new challenges that the FSA and the FPdC have agreed to face together, however, seeking to add more allies to live the experience of innovation and impact that CañaMA+ promises. The challenges mentioned have to do with:

 

• Hiring of a base team of facilitators in charge of guiding the program sessions through Ludapps.
• Training in the methodology and pedagogical commitments of the program to all staff.
• Articulation between CañaMA+ and the Redes program of the FSA.
• Purchase of computers and adaptation of computer rooms to carry out activities. proposals at all FSA centers.
• Large-scale implementation of the tools developed in the Gamma phase.
• Virtual activity: 500 children.

 

 

 

[1]The consensus sought to promote dialogue, argumentation, and analysis among the qualifying team, always thinking about the relevance and taste of the NNA towards the game.

[2]This Redes center is not on the reference list set out at the beginning of this document since, in 2019, after carrying out a study of social profitability from the Social Management and Institutional Relations area of the FSA, it was decided to make a closure of the Redes Program and the Foundation's presence in said territory.

[3]The selection criteria of the territory were: wide and sufficient spaces and infrastructure, internet connection, moderate attendance of NNA, social and pedagogical processes consolidated from the Redes program.

[4]Later, this group of “ chiquis ” would be divided into two other subgroups due to methodological issues. A group from 6 to 8 years old and another from 9 to 11 years old.

[5] There were 4 sessions a day, 12 a week (9:00-9:45 AM the first group; 10:15-11:00 AM; 2:30-3:30 PM; 4:00-5:00 PM )

 

FINISH:

Increase the rates of success and permanence in school in children and adolescents

Objectively Verifiable Indicators 

* Percentage of children who pass the school year

Formula: Children who participate in CañaMA+ over children who pass the school year

Goal: At least 95% of children who attend CañaMA+ pass the school year

*Percentage of staying in school during the year. Formula: CañaMA+ participating children enrolled in school at the beginning of the year over CañaMA+ participating children attending school at the end of the year

Goal: 98% of children who start school remain in school at the end of the year.

Verification Sources 

*School newsletters uploaded to the Phidias platform.

*District dropout statistics disaggregated by locality. *Attendance record of Children  enrolled in Phidias

PURPOSE: 

Improve the academic performance of the NNA of the Redes program, specifically in the area of mathematics.

*Qualifications of the children in the subject of mathematics

Goal: High or higher assessment in mathematics in 60% of the NNA that take the bulletin and are part of the program.

* Percentage of approval of the mathematics subject by children and adolescents Formula: Children and adolescents who pass the mathematics subject on children and adolescents who participate in CañaMA+

Goal: 75% of children and adolescents reach a basic level in mathematics qualification according to the periods determined by the institution

Verification Sources 

*Results of the Phidias Module corresponding to the control matrices of the academic component of the Redes program (quarterly report card).

*School newsletters uploaded to the Phidias platform.

COMPONENTS

1. Children develop and strengthen logical-mathematical skills

*Difference between the result of the follow-up evaluation and the result of the diagnostic evaluation

Formula: results of the follow-up evaluation minus results of the diagnostic evaluation

Goal: The difference in the results of the evaluation diagnoses carried out up to the month of June is between 15% and 20% (positive) in relation to the follow-up diagnoses applied in the month of September.

* Logical-mathematical skills developed and strengthened

Formula: sum of the results of the diagnostic, follow-up, and final evaluations. 

Goal: 90% have a score greater than 230 points when making the sum of the evaluations.

2. Children develop an interest and/or motivation for mathematics

*Motivation expressed by children during CañaMA+

Formula sessions: number of children who show motivation and/or emotion during CañaMA+ sessions plus number of children who say they are motivated to learn mathematics at the end of the year

Goal: 80 % of children and adolescents show at least one attitude attributable to motivation  and at least 85% say they are motivated

3.  The NNA find the usefulness of mathematics in their daily lives

Percentage of use of mathematics

Formula: number of children and adolescents who participate in CañaMA+ over the number of children who consider mathematics to be useful in their daily lives.

Goal: 70% of children and adolescents find mathematics useful in their daily lives.

Through the following objectives we want to reach more than 2,000 children this year, increasing our coverage by 100%. We have an important challenge in obtaining strategic allies that help us finance and implement the project effectively in order to continue having a positive impact on more children.

MANAGEMENT

Children who attend the CañaMÁ + component

678

Σ NNA assisted in CañaMÁ +

PRODUCT

NNA assisted in reinforcement-virtual modality-

741

Σ NNA assisted in reinforcements

PRODUCT

NNA attended in reinforcements-face-to-face modality-

378

Σ NNA assisted in reinforcements

PRODUCT

NNA who presented a diagnostic test in mathematics

1241

Σ Diagnostic tests applied

PRODUCT

NNA who presented diagnostic test in language

1174

Σ Diagnostic tests applied

PRODUCT

Children who presented an evaluation test in mathematics

377

Σ Evaluative tests applied

PRODUCT

NNA who presented evaluative test in language

426

Σ Evaluative tests applied

RESULT

Children who pass the evaluation test in mathematics

358

Σ Children who pass the evaluation tests

RESULT

Children who pass the evaluation test in language

404

Σ Children who pass the evaluation tests

RESULT

Percentage of approval of the language subject by the NNA

95>#/span###

Children and adolescents who pass the Spanish language subject on Children and adolescents who attend the Redes program

RESULT

Percentage of approval of the mathematics subject by the NNA.

95>#/span###

Children who pass the mathematics course on children who attend the Redes program

RESULT

Percentage of approval of the mathematics subject by the NNA participating in the CañaMÁ + project.

75>#/span###

Children and adolescents who pass the mathematics course on children and adolescents who participate in CañaMÁ +

RESULT

Influence of the CañaMÁ + project on participating children.

fifteen>#/span###

| % of approval in mathematics in Alto and Superior participating CañaMÁ + - % of approval in mathematics in Alto and Superior non-participating |

MANAGEMENT

Difference between the result of the follow-up evaluation and the result of the diagnostic evaluation.

Increase in the average score by at least 15% in the follow-up evaluations, with respect to the diagnostic tests.

(Follow-up evaluation results minus diagnostic evaluation results) / 5

MANAGEMENT

Logical-mathematical skills developed and strengthened.

5 games approved (at least) on average by the CañaMA+ participating children.

Σ Number of games approved by each NNA.

RESULT

Level of satisfaction of the participants for the CañaMÁ + project

80>#/span###

Total responses totally satisfied and very satisfied / Total responses

MANAGEMENT

Effective and ineffective attention calls -virtual modality-

1311

Σ effective and ineffective calls

MANAGEMENT

Planning repository for reinforcements in language -virtual modality-

1

Σ repositories made

MANAGEMENT

Repository of plans for reinforcements in mathematics -virtual modality-

1

Σ repositories made

MANAGEMENT

Planning repository for reinforcements in chemistry -virtual modality-

1

Σ repositories made

CañaMA+ is part of the non-formal academic offer of the FSA and its main objective is to improve the academic performance of children and adolescents, specifically in the area of mathematics. The program is based on the strengthening of mathematical skills, articulated with the Basic Learning Rights [1](DBA), to complement and enhance the academic processes of children and adolescents.

 

As an ultimate goal, the program aims to increase the rates of permanence and school success of the participating population and thus have an impact on the percentage of access to higher education.

 

To achieve its goal, the CañaMA+ program motivates children's interest in mathematics and provides evidence of its practical value in everyday life through a methodology based on games and peer interaction. Additionally, CañaMA+ uses gamified playful applications called “ Ludapps ” with which children and adolescents interact and strengthen their mathematical skills.

 

CañaMA+ considers children and adolescents the central axis of the program and the protagonists of their own learning processes. This implies, in methodological terms, that there are facilitators to accompany, guide, observe, encourage, and enhance the experience of children and adolescents in the different learning sessions contemplated by the program.

 

As a starting point, CañaMA+ performs a diagnostic assessment with each participating NNA to determine the level of development of mathematical skills that, according to the DBAs, they should have for the school grade in which they are. With this information, a personalized work plan is created with different Ludapps so that the NNA strengthen the skills with the lowest score and/or priority.

 

Once the NNA have their individual work plan, 2 sessions of 1 hour are held each week where the participants must satisfactorily complete each Ludapp determined in their respective plan. Once each Ludapp is finished , a test is carried out to establish if the NNA managed to strengthen the competencies intended by the application. It is necessary to mention that each Ludapp has a specific objective based on the fulfillment of the DBA, in this way, the culmination of each application implies the strengthening of mathematical skills that were little developed in the NNA.

 

The work plan for each NNA is six-monthly, giving the facilitators the possibility of making adaptations in such a way that the applications used have a total pertinence with their academic processes.

 

On the other hand, in the middle of the programming, an intermediate evaluation is carried out to observe the process of each NNA based on the goals set at the beginning of the program. Thus, a preventive control can be carried out to make changes or implement focused support strategies to enhance the intended strengthening.

 

Finally, at the conclusion of the work plans with their respective Ludapps , a final evaluation is carried out to determine the success of the program at the individual and territorial level.

 

As evidence of maximum achievement of the program, it is expected that all participating children pass the math subject and improve their academic grades.

[1]This concept will be discussed in depth later.

Search engine: through this tool, a cross is made between the results of the diagnostic evaluation of each child and the Ludapps catalog. As a result, the tool identifies the Ludapps that, according to their characteristics, have the greatest relevance and impact for the development and/or strengthening of mathematical skills. The facilitator has the task of using this input to create an individual work plan for the participants.

Finally, it is important to emphasize that the aforementioned tools were developed by the implementation team, who provided all the necessary technical advice to identify the needs of the program for its expansion phase, analyze the results obtained to date, and build the tools.

At Fundación San Antonio we have inclusion, diversity and protection in our work environment as a principle. Therefore, in our labor policies we encourage the gender approach and a policy of non-exclusion based on religion, race, gender, orientation, political ideology, guaranteeing a real inclusion of all sectors of society.

The San Antonio Foundation began 127 years ago. Few foundations in the country can say that they have played a fundamental role in the development of the city and that thousands and thousands of children and adolescents have passed through its doors, always open.

How is it possible that this initiative has been present for 3 centuries? How is it possible that the work of this priest transcended to levels that no one had imagined?

The answer to these questions lies in the tireless effort of Monsignor Manuel María Camargo, the guidance and accompaniment of the Archdiocese of Bogotá and the work of countless people who have committed themselves to the Work. But all this has not been enough, the real reason why the San Antonio Foundation has stood for so long has been the ever-present action of the Spirit, the accompaniment of Jesus and the consecration to Him.

From our school, the Monsignor Manuel María Camargo Gymnasium and the different programs and projects of the Foundation's social management, we have always remained faithful to the mission of providing shelter and protection to children and adolescents in the archdiocesan territory.

In our school we have tried to be a true Catholic School, in accordance with the postulates that emerge from the Second Vatican Council in which the model of Jesus as a true man inspires our actions and we can achieve a faith-culture-life synthesis. All this, articulated with the Educational System of the Archdiocese of Bogotá-SEAB.

In the different social programs that the San Antonio Foundation has carried out over the years, we have always considered the articulation with the parishes to be paramount.

Our non-formal education offer, the Redes, Escuelas para el Tiempo Libre program, was born in 2003 as an initiative coordinated with the parishes to present a quality socio-educational offer for children and adolescents belonging to some of the parishes with complex situations in the city and today, 16 years later, it continues to be an opportunity for thousands of children and adolescents who find there a space to convert free time into a possibility to multiply their knowledge and talents and to grow in values. Redes is a space for study, the arts, sports, the appropriation of technology, reflection on the environment, psychosocial care and an encounter with Jesus.

But the Foundation's commitment does not stop there, it also contributes to the care of girls and young people through the Santa Vicenta María Home and the María Inmaculada University Residence; supports the management of the Fundación Hogar Integral and the Jardín de la Niña María; and, finally, it joins the dramatic situation of the displaced and migrants through support for the Migrant Care Foundation.

The San Antonio Foundation is the hand of the Church that helps us grow in Wisdom and Grace.

Today we continue to write this story, with more people and new challenges that are born every day, but with the same love, enthusiasm and loyalty to the cause that motivated Monsignor Manuel María Camargo 127 years ago.

We have been working for years to obtain international cooperation resources, a generous base of donors who trust in our work and in the positive impact we make on people, families and communities in Colombia.