Mathematics is more accessible: the story of junior mentors from "Alexei Mateevici" High School in Dondușeni

Coordinated by teacher Tatiana Dediu, an innovative initiative has changed students' perceptions of the subject, which traditionally gave them a lot of trouble. The secret to this success is the involvement of mentors - students from older classes who help their peers discover that complex issues have simpler solutions than they seem. For the first time in the school's history, the admissions for the real profile outnumbered those for the humanities.

From idea to tangible results

It all started in 2022, when Tatiana Dediu set out to close the gap between students' grades in math during the school year and their results in the secondary school graduation exams. To close this gap, it launched a math mentoring programme.

Tenth-grade students who had excellent results in the math exam became mentors for their ninth-grade peers. In teams divided by performance levels - beginner, average and advanced - students worked together to prepare for the exams. In the first year of implementation, all ninth-graders passed the exam, a milestone for the high school. 

Mihaela Solomca, one of the students who enjoyed these sessions, recalls: "The classmates were very patient in explaining things to us and we were able to understand things that before seemed difficult to understand. By the end, I managed to get a good grade in the exam".

Another beneficiary of the programme, Nadejda Volfaciuc, has also achieved good results: "From level II as I was initially, I managed to reach level I and get a good grade in the mathematics exam. This success was an inspiration for me to continue my studies in science subjects. The mentoring I received from my peers helped me to understand mathematics better and gradually it became my favourite subject of study".

Math is no longer a barrier, but an opportunity for growth for students from Donduseni. Anastasia Babarea, a former beneficiary of the programme, says: "The consultations helped me to understand mathematics and gave me the courage to continue my studies in the real profile."

Mentors involved saw the project as an opportunity to learn too. Lina Lache, one of the volunteers, now a grade 12 student, says the lessons taught to her younger classmates helped her choose her future profession. After high school, she intends to go to a teaching college - she wants to become a math teacher. 

"By helping our colleagues, we also strengthened our knowledge. We understood the subject matter better and enjoyed seeing how the people we were helping were improving. The teacher was always with us, ready to get involved, to help us. We were working on the basis of an action plan, with some items that we had to teach the students. We shared from our own experience where to draw attention, where to work harder, we showed them model solutions with possible answer options and allowed them to solve the problems on their own", says the young girl. 

Another volunteer - Mihaela Dovbenco - says that most of her colleagues in the younger classes were happy with the assistance. "They told me that they felt much more comfortable asking questions or even getting it wrong in some cases. We, the mentors, also enjoyed this experience - we were gaining volunteer experience we were glad to be able to help someone knowing how nervous we were during the ninth-grade exams," says the student.

Dan Rotaru, the third member of the junior mentor team, says that peer-to-peer learning helps students develop a greater love of science subjects, including math. "In real science, the material has to be explained in clear language, so that students understand one formula or another, and only then move on to more complex problems", he says. 

A growing educational community

The high school director, Liliana Guțanu, emphasizes that the success of the project stems not only from the work of the mentors, but also from the involvement of the whole school community. Starting this year, the school aims to resume this positive practice, including students who previously benefited from support in preparation for the 9th grade exams. 

"This experience has motivated us to reorganize classes according to students' level of preparation. This model gives everyone the chance to progress, regardless of the difficulties they face. We want to form a community where students learn from each other, support each other and discover the joy of learning. This is our biggest gain," says Liliana Guțanu.

Good practice shared among teachers of real subjects at Model Schools

As part of a wide-ranging education upgrading programme, funded by the European Union and implemented by UNDP and UNICEF, good teaching-learning practices, including the one existing in the high school in Dondușeni, are being discussed and taken over by other educational institutions. 

Mathematics, physics, chemistry and biology teachers from the 10 Model Schools part of the programme "Advancing Quality Education and Lifelong Learning Opportunities" have a new space devoted to collaboration and innovation. This is the professional community of good practice "Students get results when teachers collaborate". It aims to help improve the educational process by promoting modern teaching and learning methods.

The community is a platform for the professional development of teachers, enabling them to attend joint sessions where they share their experience and exchange best practices. 

The Model Schools Network is an initiative of the Ministry of Education and Research which aims to turn one school in each district into a reference institution. 

The Model Schools Network is supported by the World Bank, the European Union, UNDP, UNICEF, USAID, the Government of Poland, Norway, international organizations and private companies.