The new National Core Curriculum came into force in September 2020 in Hungarian schools. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a deep impact on the final stages of its development. In this paper we have selected two areas for analysis: the fundamental principles of mathematics curriculum and the matriculation exam in mathematics. We propose improvements in both fields, further emphasizing the importance of skills in displaying, understanding and processing information, including visual information obtained as a source or outcome of a problem. We argue that representation, interpretation, and critical evaluation of data and information must be essential parts of the mathematics curriculum. In this context, we also propose a new type of task for the matriculation exam: a complex essay task. The ultimate goal is the development of cross-cutting competencies to support students to become citizens who can make responsible decisions based on the data and knowledge available.
The efficiency of each question in the mathematics written final exam is not recorded by the institutions organizing the graduation exam. In order to overcome this deficiency the committee of final exams in mathematics and the Hungarian Educational Authority ask schools to send-beyond the total marks obtained on the paper-the scores of each question of all individual candidates to the Authority every year since 2012. Because a high proportion of schools complied with this request between 2012 and 2015, the researchers were provided valuable information for a deeper analysis on the effectiveness of exams. In this paper we have carried out an analysis of the efficiency of questions set in the written examination papers both on the intermediate and on the higher level in the last four years, on the basis of these voluntary data reports.
An educational computer game is presented, used for beginner students to introduce some basic concepts of code execution and code writing. In this mini-language microworld game, a code should be written with which a robot can escape from a procedurally generated labyrinth. The game uses a simple language and utilizes a virtual environment, where code execution could be tracked easily. One essential advantage of the software is that after a very short training, students can start experimenting, and they can understand many basic properties of code writing and execution. Based on several pilot teaching classes in both primary schools and universities, the game is an efficient tool to introduce the bases of computer programming, which bases might be harder to demonstrate with other educational tools.
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