For Silvia Sbaragli, organizer of Matematicando and head of the Competence Centre for Mathematics Education (DDM) at DFA/ASP, the concluding balance of these three days dedicated to mathematics is extremely positive, in quantitative terms, but above all in qualitative terms: "We saw great enthusiasm among the teachers, the pupils and students, among the public and the City of Locarno, which once again welcomed and supported this event. What I was most pleased about was the inclusive nature of this fourth edition, with Pro Infirmis organizing many workshops that were user-run and the participation of many inclusive and reduced membership (special school) classes."
The excellent response from the schools and the public is also motivated by the great expectation for this fourth edition, which returned to animate the city of Locarno after six years, following the forced halt dictated by the pandemic. Among the streets of Locarno, the public was able to participate in 50 initiatives, including workshops and performances, designed to bring people of all ages closer to mathematics, through other disciplines and different looks.
"Mathematics is everywhere, Matematicando is an opportunity to discover it in an informal environment and in the encounter with Italian, poetry, art, sports and robotics," continues Silvia Sbaragli. In the 1990s it was perhaps perceived as a somewhat awe-inspiring subject. Today, thanks to an important outreach work in which Matematicando also fits in, it seems that in Ticino people have made peace with this discipline, the PISA data confirm this to us. We want to continue to propose these new looks at mathematics, to always find new doors of entry to approach a subject as important as it is fascinating."
Also in this fourth edition, the Ticino school world responded with a very large participation to the invitation to attend the Thursday and Friday days of the festival, dedicated to teachers and their students. The registrations opened at the beginning of the year and were sold out in a very short time. Even the rain, which accompanied the first two days of Matematicando, did not deter the participants, who attended some activities sheltered by their umbrellas.
These expressions of appreciation and interest are an important recognition for the great work done in the past months by the Department of Education and Learning / University of Teacher Education of 精东影业, in a complex organizational machine that involved the academic and student body.
The fifth edition of Matematicando Festival. A stroll with mathematics through the streets of Locarno will be held in 2026.