DreamBox Learning®» Parenting

Confessions of a DreamBox Parent

Blue — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 22:50:00 +0000

When I received that first email from DreamBox, I couldn't believe my eyes. What an outstanding surprise! All my prayers had been answered. It was like manna from the heavens. My wishes had come true. Well, that might be an exaggeration, but let me tell you, I sure was excited. If you're anything like me, you are curious about what your children do every day at school. Are they enjoying themselves? Are they learning anything? Are they progressing as people at all? If your child is anything like my kindergartener, then you know full well that getting answers to those questions from them is like pulling teeth. Except that with the teeth you actually end up with something in your hand. You might get a "Nothing" if you're lucky to enough to distract them from their Legos or Barbies. "I don't know," is likely what you consider the long winded version. When it comes to the math part of his education though, DreamBox gives me all the answers I need. Actually, I'm getting much more than I would have asked for. And I'm getting feedback on his math progress as soon as he and his teacher are. Whenever my son completes a lesson on DreamBox, my wife and I each get an email letting us know just how he is doing. We learn about the math concepts he is working on. We get an understanding of the progress he's making. We also are notified when he is struggling with something. These emails come every time he logs on to his account using the character he chose and the picture password he chose as well. If he's working through the DreamBox lessons every day, then DreamBox sends me an email every day. How many times do you get to sit down with your teacher and get some insight into your child's learning? Once or twice a year? If you are persistent, maybe you'll be updated more regularly. If your teacher happens to be into technology on a personal level, maybe you'll get some kind of general update about what the class has been doing the past few weeks, and possibly where they are headed in the next few weeks. Those updates are unlikely to carry the level of detail that I as a parent am looking for though. If this regular communication from DreamBox wasn't just the bees knees to begin with, then the recommendations they make following the update are just plain sweeter than honey. After a few sentences telling me what math concept my child is working through, DreamBox provides a suggestion about how we parents can reinforce this learning at home using live manipulatives. Here's an example of ideas I recently received. On-the-Run: Counting Fun: Ask your son to make equivalent amounts of objects, such as knives, forks, spoons, and napkins when setting the table; or to determine the number of items needed for all family members so everyone gets one. Finger Play: Hold up some fingers using two hands, but only show them briefly then put them behind your back. Ask your son to try to make the same arrangements with his fingers from memory. Is that the coolest thing or what? I am so happy with the progress and fun my child is having with DreamBox. It seems to me that the folks at DreamBox "get" learning so much better than some of these other computer folks. They understand that it's not all about the computer, or all about class time. They realize that parents and guardians must be involved. They know that to successfully engage a child in learning and creative thinking, time must be spent away from the computer using real world examples. With DreamBox, I'm learning what my child is doing in math in real time. I'm learning how to help my child think and learn about math in the real world. That is what makes DreamBox really, really great!

Confessions of a DreamBox Parent

Blue — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 21:00:14 +0000

My son will be 6 in October, and my daughter is 3 ½. I don’t think it will come as a shocker when I admit that I’ve been flying by the seat of my pants at this parenting thing. Sure, I’ve gotten better over the years. I’ve read the books and magazines, talked with friends and family about their experiences. But overall, I’m just hanging on, hoping that I don’t mess the kid up for life. That’s why the decision to expose our children to the DreamBox online math program is so satisfying. I know for certain that I’m doing the right thing. Without a doubt, DreamBox is a great teaching tool for kids. My wife and I deliberate over which school to send our kids to. Are they too young to start playing soccer? When should we expose them to a musical instrument? With each decision comes fear of the unknown. We wonder how our children will react to certain environments. We contemplate costs such as drive time and money. We try to balance fun with learning, being a kid with growing up strong. DreamBox seems to have overcome a lot of those concerns for us. At its core, DreamBox teaches math curriculum based on national and state standards. I know this because of the dashboard that is available to me which highlights different skills that have been mastered. DreamBox adapts to my child’s learning style and speed, constantly making adjustments to deliver a customized learning program. Regardless of how fast or slow my child is learning, DreamBox is rewarding him along the way. Part of my goal as a parent is to develop a confident person, one who is able to handle all that life will throw at him. So along with learning math, my son is gaining much needed confidence. He is rewarded by fun, talking characters. He is rewarded with certificates, and tokens, and new friends that he wins as he completes lessons. It doesn’t matter how advanced or remedial the lessons are, he is becoming more self-assured. DreamBox doesn’t forget the importance of being a kid either. This program is set up like a game, with different storylines using fairies (they call them pixies), dinosaurs, pirates, or pets. There is a carnival arcade where my son can go to play games, which, by the way, are just more math problems. Kinda like hiding peas in their macaroni-and-cheese. There are hundreds of lessons and, so I read, millions of storylines that can be exposed on the fly as my son completes different tasks in different ways. I’ve watched my son use DreamBox, and it occurs to me that he is not only learning math, he’s learning problem solving. That issue we have in our country about not having enough engineers and scientists? Well, that’s not only because we aren’t teaching kids facts properly. Engineers must think independently, approach puzzles from different perspectives. Scientists must forge new methods of researching problems. DreamBox forces my son to actually think, as well as memorize. I know that computers can’t replace personalized instruction. I also know that my child needs time to play with 3 dimensional objects and real, live kids. Exercise and sports are invaluable to developing a well rounded, healthy child. But for 30 or 60 minutes a day, a few times a week, I know that DreamBox is delivering so much of what my child needs growing into a boy and man, and what I need growing as a parent.

Helping Parents Understand How Children Learn Number

Sherry B — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 23:35:34 +0000

Recently a parent of a kindergartener sent us an email expressing some concern that her child (Julie) was working with two digit numbers but hadn't received any place value instruction. The parent was helping her daughter "answer" the lessons and she was concerned that DreamBox might have an instructional sequencing problem. This gave us a wonderful opportunity to put the parent at ease, help her understand how young children learn number concepts, and coach her on letting her daughter do the lessons herself. Young children are like sponges, and it's fascinating to watch as they soak up the world. They are in a "making sense time" of learning, meaning that first the learning is "mimicing", then they develop relational understandings, and finally they own the learning because they can apply it in new situations. However research shows us that this is not a linear model of learning. Learning is fragile in young children; they go in and out of this pathway before they get to consistent application and own the knowledge and skills. This is especially true when it comes to developing mathematical understanding. DreamBox is an adaptive learning environment designed to support a child's fragile learning path to knowledge and application. We begin the young child with developing number concepts and number sense. The big ideas for this step in Julie's development are:

Counting by telling how many things are in a set.
Numbers are related to each other through a wide variety of relationships.
Numbers have different values when connected to real objects and measure. For example, 5 elephants is a big amount, but five crayons is a small amount though the same number; 12 minutes is not much more than 10 minutes, but it is a lot more than 30 seconds.

Along with these big ideas, we want to help Julie develop number sense which means having a good intuition about number and their relationships. Number Sense develops gradually as a result of exploring numbers, and visualizing them in a variety of contexts. Early counting starts with mimicing of the sequence. Then a young child learns to count understanding a one to one relationship, and develops ideas about quantities so they see the relationships of more, less and the same. This allows Julie to see numbers as "groups of" (as in counting by 2's, 5's and 10's) and her counting starts to become more fluent and efficient. This leads the child into what some refer to as the "pre-place-value relations with 10." They count easily to 10, can group and count with ten, but they are not using place value and are really not ready for the "tens and ones" conversation other than to mimic what they hear. In this stage, we still want them to see larger numbers, to count them using one to one correspondence, to identify where they fit on a number line, and to count them using groupings like 5s and 10s (like the mathrack example you mentioned); but for the child, the understanding is not at a readiness for place value. So when you see DreamBox using larger numbers, this is what is happening. For us as adults who do have place value knowledge, it seems like place value is being taught and that place value would make it easier to answer the questions but this is not the case. With this in mind let me go to how DreamBox sets up the learning path for Julie and how that learning path can get interrupted. With each click of the mouse DreamBox is subtly adapting Julie's learning path based on her answer and her strategy to get to that answer. DreamBox knows that a young child's learning is fragile so there is a very deliberate back and forth going on. We don't want to push Julie beyond the point of her understanding but rather challenge the edges of her understanding so she moves along at her own pace. If a parent coaches the child so she gets a right answer or uses a more efficient strategy, DreamBox responds not knowing that the child didn't really understand what was presented to her. We adjusted Julie's learning path to a more appropriate level for her. Julie's mom to going to encourage her to spend time on DreamBox, acknowledge her efforts, and talk to her about her "adventure" and what she learned today.

A Present for the Whole Family—A Thermometer!

Lisa W — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 18:28:40 +0000

What’s the temperature outside?

Want a present that the whole family can enjoy? Buy an outside thermometer! It’s a great way to use real-life math. Place the thermometer in a place that your child can easily see it. Teach them how to read it. Show them how you look at the top of the red line and move your finger over to see what the temperature is. If there are numbers on both sides, talk about Celsius and Fahrenheit, and explain which system meteorologists usually refer to. Go to the Weather Channel Kids! website. You can type in your zip code and see a two-day forecast. Will it be hotter or colder tomorrow than it is today? Is the temperature on the website's forecast the same as it is in your backyard? (Then type in grandma’s zip code in Florida to see what the weather is like for her today.)

An experiment with the thermometer

Try some experiments with a kitchen thermometer and water. Fill three different cups with water. In one, just have lukewarm water. In the second, add ice. Heat the third cup up on in the microwave (watch that it doesn’t get too hot for little hands!). Under your supervision, have your child find the temperature of each cup of water and record it. Show them how to write the temperature correctly. The more you use the thermometer, the more the numbers on it will mean something to your child. What other ideas do you have for math-related presents that the whole family can enjoy? We'd love to hear about them!

Book Review: NurtureShock by Po Bronson, Ashley Merryman

Mickelle — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 15:50:26 +0000

As a child I used to reread great books. I rarely do that now. So little time, so many great books. However, I just finished Po Bronson’s and Ashley Merryman’s NurtureShock and I’d give it the rare classification of worth rereading. Whether you’re a teacher, parent or both, this book is a fantastic collection of ideas worth pondering. In fact, I limited myself to reading one chapter at a time so my mind had sufficient time to ponder each idea. Instead of telling you about the book (just read the Amazon reviews!), I’ll tell you a few ways I’ve changed my parenting:

I’m more thoughtful whenever my 4-year old daughter lies or tattles. I consider her motivations, my leading questions (am I setting her up to lie?) and the ways I can help steer towards honesty and independence.

My husband and I have stopped babbling with our 16 month old son and instead label objects and actions. Already we’ve tripled his vocabulary and are shocked by his progress. Is this what it takes to get him to talk?

When watching the kids play with each other and friends, I’m watching for physical, relational and verbal aggression. I’m not watching so I can intervene, instead I’m simply fascinated with the dynamics taking place at this early age. When exactly should I intervene? I don’t know. I do know that do/don’t do rules aren’t the answer and sometimes it’s best to pretend I wasn’t paying attention.

Initially I expected that I’d be able to apply more of the book to my job writing online math curriculum for elementary-aged learners. While there are nuggets that apply to my job, I discovered a wealth of knowledge I can apply to interactions with kids of all ages. This is a must-read book!

August is Get Ready for Kindergarten Month

Tracy — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 18:41:15 +0000

Parents, start your minivans -- August is Get Ready for Kindergarten Month. How do you get your child ready for the beginning of their academic career? How do you prepare yourself for this life-changing transition?

Prepping for the first school send off

We've all seen those movies and T.V. shows where the child clings to his parent's leg, weeping and refusing to go inside the kindergarten classroom. There are a few things you can do now to quell your child's fear and ease him through those big, scary doors. Read him books about kindergarten, such as The Night Before Kindergarten or First Day Jitters and gently get him familiar with the concept. Storytime is a good way to get your child talking about the new school. Take a walk by the school, play on the playground, and maybe take him inside for a special tour. Adjust his sleep schedule gradually to the school's schedule. And if your child is going to take the bus, take a practice trip on the school bus or point out (and count!) buses you see on the road.

Kindergarten math

Math can be integrated into many daily activities. You can start prepping your child for kindergarten with kindergarten-appropriate math games like Uno and number Bingo. Practice counting by asking your child to count the buttons on your shirt, the daisies in your lawn, the candy in a dish. Use our Math Development Growth Chart and find out where your five-year-old is in math before school begins.

How do parents get ready?

August summer math calendar

Kids are the ones who have to face a whole new routine, but parents need to prepare too! During the school send off, you'll probably cry more than the little one. Invest in a giant pair of sunglasses to hide those tears. And definitely have a video camera handy. Questions to ask yourself before your child begins kindergarten:

What forms do you need to fill out?
Do you have a kindergarten yearly calendar and daily schedule?
What are the procedures for getting your child to/from school?
What immunizations are required for school entry?
How do you register?
What's the principal's name and the name of the kindergarten teachers?
What is the policy for school snacks and lunches?

A new month means a new calendar, so don't forget to download our August activity calendar. Have a wonderful and stress-free Get Ready for Kindergarten Month! Feel free to comment if you've been through it before and want other parents to know what it's like.

Fourth of July Flag Math Activities

Tracy — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 20:52:37 +0000

Summer is finally here. It’s time for some outdoor fun with family and friends to celebrate Independence Day. The Fourth of July is a great opportunity to incorporate summer math games with U.S. history lessons. Here is a great arts and crafts flag math activity that will have your kids popping like a firecracker.

Flag math and crafts:

Combine math with history by helping the children make a hand print version of the flag.

2001 flag from St. Elizabeth Ann Seton School

Materials you’ll need:

One poster board per child
Red, white and blue tempera paint
Sponges or eager children’s hands

Start by painting a blue square at the upper-left corner of the poster board (the square is a little less than ¼ of the poster board, so you may have to do this yourself). Have the children make seven red rows with their hands (you can also make the red hand prints on a separate piece of paper and cut it into strips). Then paste fifty white stars (or dots) in the blue square.

Talk about the following topics:

Why there are 50 stars on the flag?
How many red and white stripes are there?
What does that number represent?

Enjoy these other helpful math activities at Forth of July Activities and USA Math Pages.

Fun math when watching fireworks:

I have always found that fireworks are an attention grabber with many children, and present a wonderful opportunity to explore the mathematics of measurement and timing, as well as touching on some chemistry. As a great resource to answer your questions, Nova has a wonderful outline on The Anatomy of a Firework. This is a brilliant way to show that fireworks are closely linked to science and math. Since we all know that fireworks can be extremely dangerous, we should always leave fireworks to the professionals. Have a happy, safe and math-filled Fourth of July this year!

Self-Discipline Predicts Math Learning and School Success

Sue — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 15:23:12 +0000

We've had a lively discussion in the DreamBox offices this week after someone circulated a recent Science Daily article "Self-regulation Game Predicts Kindergarten Achievement." The article describes early childhood development research (by Claire Ponitz from the University of Virginia and Megan McClelland of Oregon State University) that assessed the effectiveness of a game called the Head-Toes-Knees-Shoulders (HTKS) task. The researchers discovered that children who did well on this this simple, 5-minute self-regulation game in the fall achieved strong scores in reading, vocabulary, and math in the spring, compared to students who had low performance on the task. The research also showed that the children who performed well on the task scored 3.4 months better than their peers who performed at average levels on mathematics learning.

Reigniting the math learning debate

This sparked a follow-up -- someone else shared the TED conference video "Don't eat the marshmallow yet!" In it Joachim de Posada describes a well-known experiment on delayed gratification and how self-control can predict future success. It's worth a watch, even aside from the video of adorable kids trying their hardest not to eat a marshmallow! TED Conference talk: "Don't eat the marshmallow yet" With so much cultural emphasis on instant gratification -- peer pressure to have/wear the trendy thing, media exposure to a huge number of ad messages, easy credit (well, maybe it's a little less easy now) -- it's no wonder we all feel the pressure to have it all and have it now. How can parents teach self discipline, control, and patience in this environment? (Research suggests that many parents feel this is an area they haven't done well with.) Smarter folks than I have wondered this too, so I went looking for a good resource on this topic. Now it's my turn to share: here's a great article on Parenthood.com: "How to Teach Kids Self-Discipline." There's plenty of insightful, common sense advice, plus a few other good resources if you want to learn more.

To Be in Honors, or Not to Be in Honors

Byron — Fri, 15 May 2009 16:31:16 +0000

Our youngest daughter recently came home facing the decision of whether for the next school year she should go into ‘honors’ math class or the regular math class. We haven’t really faced this before, as the right decision for each of our two older children was straightforward, although different for each. I have seen the angst it has has caused in other families. The stress was particularly acute in those cases where placement was decided by a single test result. Fortunately in our case, there was no single test to worry about. A second source of stress can come from worrying about how a placement decision will affect the child’s distant future. For a middle-schooler, college and life after college is a long way off. This actually makes the decision easier, as the only criteria is: What is in best interest of the child now? Where can the child have the right balance of challenge and success? That still might not be easy to figure out, but it is a whole lot easier than worrying about whether your daughter won’t be CEO someday because she didn’t take honor’s algebra in middle school.

Math Honors: Coping With Unexpected Stress

So how did our daughter’s case work out? Well, she initially wanted one direction. Her parents and teacher after talking with each other, thought a different course was best. And at least for a while longer, it is clear who has final say. If you have had to face a placement decision, how did your family handle it?

Schooled by 5-8 Year Olds: Why We Start Kids a Year Early in Our Curriculum

Mickelle — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 23:51:32 +0000

Did you know that we beta-tested DreamBox Learning with 5 different releases before making it available to the public? Along with each release came a plethora of feedback. Feedback that was, and still is, vital to building a product that teaches and engages young kids. Along the way were many surprises. Early on we learned that our curriculum is challenging. Appropriately challenging, but nonetheless challenging. This made it difficult for new users that weren’t as familiar with computer games, weren’t comfortable using computers for learning, and weren’t confident when using virtual manipulatives for solving problems. There was too much new learning taking place at once. What should we do?

How Can Users Get the Most Out Of DreamBox Online Math Learning?

We, the Academic Team at DreamBox, experimented with the starting place of our curriculum and looked at some general patterns in user data. We found that a majority of new users failed the early lessons and our dynamic sequencing was taking them to lessons in a previous grade-level. This bothered us. As teachers we wanted our students to experience success with math early in the product use. Would it be better if we started kids off with easy math games and gradually increased the difficulty? The answer: Yes! By starting with curriculum one grade-level earlier in the sequencing, the new user experienced success with math and this compensated for frustrations that naturally occurred due to using a new learning medium. But isn’t starting users one grade-level behind inefficient? With most products, this would be the case, but not so with ours. Our GuideRight™ Technology allows us to skip over large chunks of the curriculum when the student demonstrates that the math is easy. Our unique sequencing allows a child to work in two grade levels of the curriculum at once. After a few successful kindergarten games, users are presented with our early first-grade curriculum. If they aren’t, it means they weren’t ready for it. This may not be the perfect solution for all kids, but it turns out that it works successfully for the majority of our kindergarten to 3rd grade students. However, as always, we're anxious to hear from the parents of our little DreamBox users: how is this working for your children?