This project is a unique cross-over between sport and mathematics and meets the European policies in the field of education mathematics and Physical Activity. Both math and pool
billiard can be an important factor in the development of children. It stimulates brain activity, hand coordination, visual insight and promotes the ability to solve problems together with
others. For teachers, SmartPool gives them an opportunity to implement a new form of practice-oriented education and to develop new skills.
The cooperation between partners is innovative. It is not customary for sports organizations and educational organizations to work together.

Needed changes:
• Federations and education must get to know each other
• Students should start to like math and understand better
• The image of science subjects must improve so that more students choose maths in their package and technical training and professional opportunities

ADVANTAGES OF SMARTPOOL

What does billiards for young people specifically contribute to the development of kids? In other words: to which of the 21st century skills that are so important for kids does SmartPool
actually contribute? We have listed four 21st century skills in which billiards for young people play a role: educational skills, social skills, competitive skills, and a combination of mental,
physical and precision.

EDUCATIONAL SKILLS

SmartPool contributes to a better mathematical and physics insight. Relatively many children find maths difficult or dislike. Research by Mulier Institute has shown that students who
are allowed to use SmartPool in their math lessons better understand math (96%) and like math lessons more (97%). Better appreciation of, and better understanding of, physics and
mathematics will contribute to more and better skilled technical personnel.
Sometimes billiards is pure mathematics. Then there is a pattern such that on the basis of three aspects (speed of the ball, effect of the ball, thickness of the point of contact) it can be
calculated exactly how a ball cannot, but how a ball should be played.
SmartPool makes abstract / technical thinking easier:
It is a recurring complaint about mathematics and physics among students: „I just don’t get it.“ The abstract and technical thinking from traditional education means that a relatively
large group of students who first have to see and experience things in order to understand it is under-served. With SmartPool, exactly that happens. Because students can practice the
material in a fun way and see it at the pool table, they are learning unnotice.
SmartPool makes abstract / technical thinking concrete:
See all of the above. Students experience a mathematical problem as much more concrete and urgent if they have been able to act out the situation at the table, for example with a
better understanding of angles and degrees.

SOCIAL SKILLS

In addition to sports or games, billiards is also primarily a social activity: you do it together, and the pleasure of being together is part of the experience. In today’s society, these are things that are no longer self-evident for young people. For them, society has become increasingly individualistic: their world is largely digital, with the mobile phone taking the place of
being together and face-to-face contact.
These skills nevertheless remain of great importance for society, and certainly for growing children. These aspects are self-evident in billiards. By making billiards more fun for young
people and more of this time without renouncing the intrinsic values, and by offering billiards in schools as part of the teaching material, children learn to appreciate these values
unnoticed. And it will contribute to not only socially more skillful children, who will appreciate aspects such as ‚togetherness‘ more.

COMPETITIVE SKILLS

For children it is important to train competitive skills in a fun way. After all, they will need these skills in later life to be able to excel (for example in the field of work). In youth billiards,
competitive skills are trained appropriately. In addition, all billiard disciplines are real gentleman games, where sportsmanship and friendliness are of paramount importance.

COMBINATION OF MENTAL, PHYSICAL AND PRECISION

Billiards combines many aspects that are of great importance in the development of children, all of which are wholly or partly part of the 21st century skills, and which serve both the
left and the brain.
21st Century Skills are the skills students need to successfully participate in today’s society. In addition to language and arithmetic and the core subjects, the competences of
collaboration, creativity, ICT literacy, communication, problem-solving skills, critical thinking and social and intercultural skills are important for this. These are all skills that ensure that
a child can function independently in our knowledge society.