1. Jaime Carvalho e Silva University of Coimbra APM, Portugal
TRUMP (Teachers and Researchers Understanding Mathematics in PISA): Building up a European Network
Jaime Carvalho e Silva
University of Coimbra
APM, Portugal

2. Castro Urdiales

3. Castro Urdiales

4. Castro Urdiales

5. PISA

6. Erasmus+

7. TRUMP Future Mathematics informed by International Comparisons
Fermat Plus

8. TRUMP
teachers and researchers understanding mathematics in PISA (TRUMP)
submitted to Eramus + EU programme in 2014 (Key Action 2: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices).

9. TRUMP
The international comparison tests (e.g. PISA and TIMSS) show that European mathematics education is less successful in developing mathematically literate young people compared with some other OECD members
The TRUMP project seeks to enhance adolescent’s mathematical literacy at a European level.

10. TRUMP
Mathematical literacy is essential, in modern society, for effective citizenship. In this way, the TRUMP project aims to create a network of European teachers and researchers in partner countries that, based under PISA framework and curriculum assessment, helps teachers’ professional development.

11. TRUMP
Although the proposal presented in 2014 to Erasmus+ was declined, the potential of the project has been recognized and the current team is searching for new European members to collaborate with and to further develop the original proposal.

12. TRUMP Reasons for rejection:
“The proposal offers to create a network, and to embark on some visits and eTwinning projects but all these are means and not real results. The content of these tools is left for future planning. The proposal does not establish whether the project is likely to produce outcomes that may be relevant to other fields of education, training and youth. It is not clarified why the proposal is innovative in spite of using existing resources, and its significant added value with respect to those resources is not demonstrated.”

13. TRUMP
In this project partner countries will work together to develop a shared understanding of the requirements of internal comparisons and develop strategies for enhancing teachers’ practice that will enhance mathematics education, resulting in improved performance in international comparisons.
Researchers and teachers will work together utilising existing materials and resources (e.g. PRIMAS (EU), Bowland Maths (England), Mathematics for the Citizen (Italy), RME (the Netherlands) to identify those strategies that are most effective in changing teachers’ practice to secure the development of mathematical literacy.

14. TRUMP The PISA definition of mathematical literacy
The focus of the PISA 2012 assessment was on measuring an individual’s capacity to formulate, employ and interpret mathematics in a variety of contexts. It includes reasoning mathematically and using mathematical concepts, procedures, facts, and tools to describe, explain and predict phenomena. It assists individuals in recognising the role that mathematics plays in the world and to make the well-founded judgements and decisions needed by constructive, engaged and reflective citizens

16. TRUMP
The project complements other EU projects (e.g. PRIMAS, Fibonacci) in that the focus is on changing teachers’ practice using existing resources. It is informed by international comparisons (e.g. PISA) but goes beyond ‘teaching to the test’. By working across a number of EU partners the opportunites for learning from one another are strengthened, to the benefit of individual partners. The project ourtcomes should inform the development of curriculum, assessment and accountability in each country.
In addition the partners include both university academics and professional subject associations for teachers. This gives the project greater chance to influence teacher practice.

17. TRUMP
The partners all participate in the PISA international comparisons and several are experiencing curriculum changes implemented by politicians who do not understand the nature of mathematical lieteracy (e.g. England, Portugal).
Some have experience of using PISA to inform curriculum and assessment development (e.g. Germany and Italy). Others are embarking on curriculum and assessment change in the light of PISA (e.g. France, Hungary, the Netherlands, Spain).

18. TRUMP
A collaborative MOOC/VLE will be developed that allows partners to share resources including video, web-based seminars etc. This will allow teachers within countries and from different countries to collaborate.
Transnational meetings will be held annually to share resources and review progress to date and agree priorities for the following year. Part of the meeting will be focus on project management and will involve a representative from each partner organisation.
Partner countries will undertake reciprocal visits with teachers and researchers to better understand practices in the different countries and learn what can work in different contexts and cultures.

19. TRUMP Project evaluation processes
The researchers will work together to draw up an evaluative framework, informed by research, that can be used to assess materials, classroom practices and outcomes for learners. In addition an independent evaluator will be appointed who will act as critical friend to the entire project and will write an evaluation of the working of the entire project and its impact.

20. TRUMP
There will be an annual transnational meeting at which project management will be dealt with and priorities for each year of the project agreed.
The first meeting will agree the framework for evaluating materials, classroom practices and learning outcomes.
Partner organisations will establish teams of researchers and teachers to work on the project – these will be volunteers keen to develop mathematical literacy amongst young people aged

21. TRUMP
Links will be made between partner countries that choose to work on the same materials as a means of developing mathematical literacy.
The second annual meeting will review progress to date, identifying strategies that seem particularly effective for further exploration in the following year, and dissemination opportunities e.g. through subject association events.
The third annual meeting will agree priorities for the final year including any translation needs, dissemination opportunities, evaluation and project outputs.

22. TRUMP Intellectual outputs
Website, collaborative MOOC,videos, resources, research papers, conference papers and workshops, articles in subject association publications

23. TRUMP Multiplier events
Use of subject association meetings and events to raise awareness of the project and strategies for securing the development of mathematical literacy

24. TRUMP MAIN PROJECT ACTIVITIES TO UNDERTAKE
The participant members will work within the PISA’s theoretical framework to devise and evaluate strategies for teacher professional development, drawing on existing materials and resources. Some examples are provided below:
1. Teachers and researchers from all the member groups will undertake bilateral visits to learn from teaching practices in the different countries.
2. Researchers from the member groups will draw up an evaluative framework to assess materials, classrooms teaching practices and outcomes from learners.
3. A network of teachers will be created and guided to put into practice the programmes and educational resources emerging from the project.
4. Teachers in each participant country will adopt and adapt shared resources to their cultural and educational context.
5. Transnational meetings of group leaders will be held to share resources, review progress to date, and to agree on priorities for the subsequent stages of the project.

25. TRUMP SUGGESTED IMPROVEMENT
More attention should be drawn to describing how the outcomes of the project may resonate with other fields of education. The proposal may be innovative, but there is not conclusive evidence of this in the application. The proposal suffers also from a typology problem. It has been sent under the “more than a field” KA2 projects but, in fact, it only has to do with School Education. Something similar happens with the priorities that the applicant has selected. The main priority is said to be “Reduction in the number of low‐skilled adults: re‐skilling and up‐skilling of adults”. This selection is wrong because the project has nothing to do with adult education.

26. TRUMP
WEAKNESSES
The phases of the project are not clearly defined, and not comprehensive enough. One example of this is the work programme, which is lacking in detail, and more information would be needed concerning project activities and implementation. In fact, the proposal is informative about what type of channel is going to be used (e‐Twinning, MOOC), but there is no indication of frequency of communication, types of collaborative activities and other initiatives that support the development of the project and ensure good progress. And, more importantly, products are only described in passing. Thus, the duration of the project is not fully justified.

27. TRUMP SUGGESTED IMPROVEMENT
It would be advisable to elaborate more on what is going to be done, how, when, where and by whom. One example of this can be found in the way one of the objectives of the proposal is not addressed. This objective is aimed at promoting the strategic use of ICTs for learning Maths, but the way this goal is materialized is nowhere in the proposal. A more extensive description of the work plan and some details about the planned activities would be needed.

28. TRUMP
FINAL GOAL
Teachers and researchers working together to understand and develop effective practices that promote the development of mathematical literacy in young people.