Maria Antònia Canals facts for kids

Maria Antònia Canals (born November 15, 1930 – died April 29, 2022) was a Spanish mathematician. She was known for making math fun and easy to understand. Her ideas about "recreational mathematics" helped create the special Canals Project. She received many awards, including the important Creu de Sant Jordi and the Medal of Honor of Barcelona [ca].

About Maria Antònia Canals

Maria Antònia Canals finished her teaching studies in 1950. Three years later, she earned a special degree in exact sciences from the University of Barcelona. This degree allowed her to teach advanced subjects like mathematics.

She started her career teaching at the French Lycée and the Talitha School. From 1956 to 1962, she used a new way of teaching young children. This method was based on the ideas of Maria Montessori, who believed in learning through play. Maria Antònia created many fun games and materials for teaching math.

Founding the Ton i Guida School

In October 1962, Maria Antònia Canals opened her own school called Ton i Guida. She chose an area in Barcelona where many immigrant families lived. These students often faced difficult living conditions.

Her school used teaching methods that were different from most schools in Francoist Spain. During this time, the government controlled many things, including education. Maria Antònia's methods were more like those used during the Second Spanish Republic, a time before the Francoist government. Classes at her school were also taught in Catalan, not Spanish, which was unusual then.

Starting the school was hard, especially finding enough money. But between 1972 and 1975, the school grew to have over 400 students. It became known as a model school for its new ideas. Maria Antònia also helped create groups for teachers and professors. She taught math education at the Autonomous University of Barcelona and the Escola de Mestres de Vic.

She officially retired on September 30, 2001. However, she continued to work in education. She became a special professor at the University of Girona. She stayed active in a research center there, helping create new math materials for schools.

The Canals Project

The Canals Project is a special effort to make Maria Antònia Canals' many teaching materials available online. This project is part of the Descartes Network. It focuses on using computers and the internet to share these educational tools.

The goal is to show how technology can be used to make learning math more fun and effective. It helps teachers and students use her ideas in a modern way.

Awards and Honors

Maria Antònia Canals received many awards for her important work in education:

• Medal of Merit at Work [es] (1986)
• Mestres 68 Award (1994)
• Gold Insignia of the University of Vic (2000)
• Creu de Sant Jordi (2006)
• Gonzalo Sánchez Vázquez Award (2007)
• Medal of Honor of Barcelona [ca] (2009)
• Member of the Naukas [es] Periodic Table of Scientists (2019)

See also

In Spanish: María Antònia Canals para niños