"Boring Math" Impacts Students Negatively

This New York Times article just hurts my heart. The amazing opportunities today's kids have with STEM jobs (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) and their interest in them is stunted due to boredom, insecurity, lack of connection to the material, or not hearing the content in a manner that makes sense to them.

This is why Mathnasium is so focused not only on Making Math Make Sense, but it is in our DNA to get kids crazy about the subject.  We stick to the academic expectations, but make it engaging and supportive so our students flourish in the subject.  

To paraphrase the NYTimes:
"Finding ways to make math exciting for students who are in the middle of the pack could have a profound effect on their futures, providing them with the skills and enticing many who are insecure in their own abilities. But it is going to require a fundamentally different approach to teaching these subjects from childhood through high school." 

Here are a few excerpts presented in the article for ideas to begin that change:

• When students see the application of math in a real world setting
• A Flexible Curriculum: At Mathnasium, we create customized learning plans so students can receive the math tutoring help they need if they are struggling, or work with materials that provide math enrichment and challenge. We look at their abilities among concepts, so if they are strong in one and weaker in another, we work at their respective place so they are always moving forward and gaining knowledge.
• Early understanding of "Number System Knowledge" which we call Numerical Fluency at Mathnasium. Students need to know how numbers are put together and taken apart to make other numbers efficiently. This foundation sends a ripple effect into higher level math.
• Learning from individuals who are not "specialized" in their field. Mathnasium instructors focus only on math and have to pass a math literacy test plus have the educational background to support all levels of math through calculus

For the full article, click here.
Image retrieved on 12/18/13 from here.

What is Mathnasium Like?

Wondering what Mathnasium is like? Take a glimpse:

Mathnasium Makes Kids CRAZY About Math

• WARNING:  Your Kid Could Become Crazy About Math!  I love that sign and it is one of the first things parents mention to me as they consider Mathnasium math tutoring services for their student. They want their child to love math, they want them to understand and feel confident about their performance in math, and they want them to be open to the possibility that their career options could very well include math, so it is critical to keep their attitudes moving in the proper direction. 
  
  In a 2010 national study, Mathnasium parents were polled so that we could learn how they felt about sending their children to our learning centers. The correlation between improved math skills and improved attitude is not a coincidence. Once you are better at something, don't you enjoy it more?  That goes for earning to play an instrument, excelling at a sport, long distance running, drawing, and hundreds of other examples. 
  
  Think about this mathematically, though. If 4th grade was OK, 5th was hard, how will middle school math feel? If your pre-algebra skills aren't mastered, algebra will be a bear. If Algebra 1/2 was rough, try sustaining that level of performance after taking a few months off for geometry.  How do these concerns effect a child's attitude? Poorly. They are scared. They feel incompetent. They start to dread the class, the homework, and, of course, test days! 
  
  Mathnasium of 4S Ranch is the perfect place to beef up those skills, dig back to make the course understandable through concepts and vocabulary, achieve algebra readiness, have qualified instructors assist with math homework help, receive math test preparation, get ACT or SAT test preparation in your 92127 neighborhood, or set the ground work for the next course so your student starts the trimester strong rather than digging themselves out of a hole. 
  
  The entire survey can be see here, but as far as our claim?  Consider yourself WARNED! 
  
  
  

Friday the 13th Fun Fact

So I am off by two days, but I learned of these fun facts and didn't want to wait until the next Friday the 13th to share.

• Friday 13 happens on every month that begins with a Sunday? 
• Every year has at least one and at most three Friday the 13ths in it, but usually there are two
• There can be two consecutive months with Friday the 13ths. Do you know which months they will always be?
• Since a calendar repeats itself exactly once every 400 years, statisticians figured out that over those 4800 months (400 years x 12 months) the probability of it being Friday the 13th is .14333 or 688/4800 because 688 months had a Friday the 13th
• If fact, when those people did all that crazy matter to figure out how ofter Friday the 13th happens, it turns out that Friday is the most common day of the week to fall on the 13th. (Since I know you are dying to know the least common day, here it is: Thursdays and Saturdays which happen 684/4800)

The people who figured this out must have had amazing math tutors or algebra help to figure this out. Too bad Mathnasium wasn't around back then!

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• Information shared above was retreived from http://www.jimloy.com/math/friday13.htm on Sunday, December 15, 2013.

Mathnasium and the Common Core Standards

Common Core Math Standards are definitely the buzz the past few years and I am often asked if the Mathnasium Method supports those standards. The answer is absolutely! Strengthening a student's algebra readiness is what it is all about for our younger friends.  Developing deeper problem solving skills and a firm understanding of the concepts is how we work with high school math students.

All of the Common Core math standards are included throughout our curriculum, but we have the luxury of of working outside of a grade level based on student performance. If a child is struggling, we pull lessons from lower grade levels. If they need enrichment, we pull lessons from higher grade levels. The main objective is to make math make sense, and by working with our students on their individualized learning plan they have the greatest opportunity for success!

To learn more, please refer to Mathnasium's Guide to the Common Core attached to the right.  For Common Core details by grade level, you will want to visit CommonCore.org.  Here, they list the grade level expectations and you can see the progression from concept to concept as it pertains to operations (add, subtract, multiply and divide), algebraic thinking (often called algebra readiness), fractions, measurement, data, and geometry.  Problem solving is addressed throughout these standards so students must have the ability to work with numbers flexibly (number fact knowledge as well as number sense) as the math progresses along grade levels.

What Makes Mathnasium Different?

We know you have options for math tutoring in 92127, 4S Ranch and the Rancho Bernardo areas.  Almost every parent that walks in the door is looking for help. A solution for their child's math progress: Whether that means reteaching concepts, strengthening existing skills, building on problem solving with the new Common Core Standards, or enrichment to not only keep up with the Jones, but be a Jone. They want to know what sets us apart from other programs. Here are just some of the many reasons why Mathnasium works!

In short, your child's customized learning plan paired with instructor led lessons, facilitated by math specialists, is the key!  This individualized attention is what builds student success. Doesn't everyone want a smile like this when it comes to understanding math?

What is the Mathnasium Method?

THE MATHNASIUM METHOD™

I am always asked about what makes Mathnasium an excellent math tutoring program?  The answer is we meet students where they are most successful, and move forward from there.  

Our approach is to use sophisticated techniques to determine, with great accuracy, what a student knows and does not know. Next, we tailor-make a personalized and prescriptive learning program. Each student follows the program with the help of specially trained Mathnasium math tutors who provide instruction—and lots of warm encouragement. For proof of progress, we rely on the student's report card, independent tests, and parent testimony to measure the speed and magnitude of improvement in math skills, numerical thinking, and attitude.

EVALUATE

Comprehensive Written and Oral Evaluation Mathnasium students are given a two-part diagnostic test. The first is a written test designed to assess the student's weakness with respect to grade-level material. The second part is a series of oral questions, designed to assess the depth of the student's understanding of key math concepts and skills.

EDUCATE

Customized Program for Your Child We use the results of our assessment to develop a learning plan and provide curriculum materials that cater to the unique needs of the student. Students receive one-on-one guidance from a qualified Mathnasium math tutor when they visit the center. The curriculum focuses on primarily written materials and mental math, and includes manipulatives and other teaching tools when appropriate. Learning new concepts is balanced with practicing those that have already been learned. Kids usually "work out" once or twice a week for about an hour.

VALIDATE

Demonstrate and Measure Results We believe your child's progress (and improved attitude) will be obvious to you, the parent. But we rely on third party proofs of progress: report cards and standardized assessments, provided by your child's school.

When is the Right Time to Take Algebra?

Parents come into our center every day talking about algebra. There is a giant push to get kids into the advance math track, but make sure your child is ready to handle all that comes with it: The accelerated pace of instruction, the strong understanding of the requisite skills necessary to be successful, and the impact an undesirable grade has on the high school transcript.

This is a terrific article with the President of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics addressing "when" to take algebra. It is very good food for thought in making a decision.

http://www.nctm.org/about/content.aspx?id=40258

Image retrieved on 12/6/13 from

 http://www.teachthought.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/edshelf-algebra-1-tools.jpg