A methodological project to strengthen students’ personal participation and active learning in mathematics
Developed by:
József Wettstein Sch.P.
Scope of the project:
Budapest Piarist School
Aim of the methodology:
To increase the role of creative learning in today’s information explosion according in context of a deeper reflection at the societal level. As Kai-Ming Chen, professor at the University of Hong Kong, points out: “…there is a much stronger urge to recognize and address fundamental changes in society than to develop education as a system…. Instead of viewing education as a closed and isolated system, all reforms must be determined by changes in society.” This realization forces a change in pedagogy: schools cannot remain sterile environments while digital reality fundamentally transforms the everyday lives of students.
The information explosion and passive digital consumption have a negative effect on the brain function of today’s young people, which can lead to frustration and stress. Schools often continue to expect passive, reactive skills, while real life require active intellect and independent action.
Technological dominance poses serious neurological risks that directly affect students’ emotional intelligence and mental stability. According to Tamás Freund, president of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, “…the part of the prefrontal cortex that places various experiences in an emotional context is shrinking. This is a structural manifestation of the loss of the emotional component during computer use…. dopamine is released in the reward center, and the size of the nucleus accumbens has increased significantly… Even if dopamine is released, it will not have a sufficient effect.” This “dopamine trap” pushes young people toward isolation and passivity, where the depth of experience is lost in the pursuit of quantitative stimulation.
The way out of this deconstructive process is to create community-based creation and performative learning environments. Our inner world is rebuilt not by isolated consumption, but by the experience of joint creation: “Singing in a band or choir, creating together in artist colonies, acting clubs, drama clubs, where we depend on each other and create different works together, enriches our inner world even more. Social production…” writes the aforementioned brain researcher, Tamás Freund.
How did the project come about?
During the project, we sought methods to transform the teaching discourse into a kind of learning discourse, where the student is not a passive recipient but an active creator. This methodology is a central element of the project. In performative learning, students acquire knowledge by creating, performing, producing, or constructing something. The goal is to shift the focus of the lesson from the teacher’s explanation to student expression and action.
Creates something: Not only does the student receive information, but also creates their own product. They perform and present: They share their results with the community online or offline (output). They experience flow: They engage in an activity that allows them to immerse themselves and gives them a sense of achievement.
Performative learning helps students learn to: speak and argue independently; extract the essence from complex texts; review false information and think critically. In this model, the teacher “steps down from the stage.” They are no longer the sole protagonist who imparts knowledge, but instead become a director rather than an actor. Their task is to create a learning environment, coordinate processes, and support students in building their own knowledge network (constructive pedagogy).
Specific methodological materials – protocol in mathematics section
Performative learning is implemented in mathematics lessons using the asynchronous mediation method. During the process, students do not only encounter the curriculum or an experiment directly, but also process a pre-recorded process and “mediate” it to their peers.
When applying this method, the process can be broken down into the following stages:
Preparation and recording: A small group of students (or even with the teacher’s involvement) carries out an activity, such as a science experiment, which is recorded on video.
Preparation of mediation material: Based on the recorded footage, the students prepare a complex handout. This includes a detailed description of the experiment, observation points, and questions and tasks that help to understand the content.
Mediation: The completed “package” (video, transcript, tasks) is given to another group of students. The asynchrony here lies in the fact that the transfer and processing of information is separated in space and time from the original activity. The receiving group reconstructs the process based on the materials received, completes the tasks, and draws conclusions.
Reflection and evaluation: At the end of the process, the parties discuss what they have seen, evaluate the products (e.g., the experiment description or the completed worksheet), and analyze the strengths and weaknesses of their own work through self-reflection.
The aim of the method is to transform students from passive recipients into active content creators and process organizers. Students can simultaneously develop their digital competence, professional reading comprehension, and cooperative skills, while the teacher’s role shifts from traditional knowledge transfer to coordinating and facilitating the learning process.
Who is running the project?
Mathematics teachers, striving to modify the target system ratios, which also helps prevent student burnout. Research shows that competitive and mastery goals have completely different effects on students’ mental state, especially with regard to burnout. The two goal systems elicit fundamentally different psychological responses from students:
In a competitive environment, the student’s primary motivation is to outperform others. This approach increases the risk of burnout for the following reasons: External pressure to conform: Students strive not for knowledge, but for their place in the rankings, which creates constant anxiety. Fear of making mistakes: In this system, mistakes are not part of the learning process, but a sign of failure that damages self-esteem. Chronic stress: The tension associated with constant competition, combined with the information overload from the digital environment, leads to frustration and emotional exhaustion.
In contrast, mastery-oriented goals focus on the learning process and individual development. This approach acts as a protective factor: Intrinsic motivation: Students are driven not by grades or rankings, but by their interest in the subject (primary motivation). Flow experience: In performative learning, students “create something” and enter a state of flow while performing the activity. This state of immersion reduces stress and increases the enjoyment of learning. Constructive approach: Students build (construct) knowledge themselves, which gives them deeper, more “life-oriented” knowledge and helps them maintain mental health in the face of information noise.
