Archive for the ‘Teaching Math’ Category

A recent newspaper article on drafting Common Education Standards had me thinking about screws, widgets, standard gauge railways and whether even those politicians with the best of intentions really get what it means to provide a child with an appropriate - and timely - education.

The genesis of how DreamBox does assessment, and one of the reasons I am with the company, occurred over 30 years ago when one of my relatives was diagnosed with a learning disability.

This surprised us and shocked his teachers, who considered him to be in the upper middle to top third of the class for math. His test scores consistently supported this. In many areas he was significantly ahead of his peers. Yet a detailed examination with an expert showed that for him division just didn't compute. Put another way, his brain simply wasn't "wired for division".

Teachers bring out talents, unlock doors, and inspire us to do nothing less than our very best. In honor of Teacher Appreciation Week, we celebrate 10 great teachers from the past and present. We cannot fathom a world without dedicated teachers, who make all things possible. Thank you for going above and beyond for our kids.

The box claims this game is appropriate for ages 3+. It’s wrong. There’s just no way. Where do I even begin? There are so many chutes and ladders that it’s difficult to discern each individual box on the game board. It’s also hard for my three-year-old to know if she’s moving towards the right or the left. (The board is a series of switchbacks. Start from the bottom left corner and move across to the right. At the end of the row, move up one row and progress from right to left.) Although there are arrows at the end of every row, this does nothing to help when her piece is in the middle of the row.

This was a very exciting week at DreamBox Learning. When we launched DreamBox K-2 Math we heard from hundreds of kindergarten, first and second grade teachers around the country telling us that they wanted to use DreamBox and our online math lesson games in their classrooms. Since our January launch we have been piloting our DreamBox math games in 150 kindergarten, first and second game classrooms around the country. Teachers are using DreamBox in their math clubs, with their math all-stars and high achievers, as well as with their math intervention students who need math tutoring.

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.

Forget the boogie man under the bed. There’s a bigger problem out there. “My child is scared to try new things that are hard for him.” At DreamBox, we hear this quite a bit. And I believe it’s a problem all parents should attack with muster. Why? Because learning to persevere through a tough problem is a life skill that will serve every child well, now and forever. So how does a parent address this? Every child is different. Experiment with the ideas below and figure out which best suits your child’s temperament.

I’m a member of a large online community of moms where we often discuss the ups and downs of raising kids in a digital age. Recently another mom posted a question wondering if exposing kids to video games at a young age leaves them ‘no time to think’. After working with teachers and schools that are using DreamBox in the classroom I think it is dangerous to lump all 'video games' into one negative category for kids. One of the benefits of raising children today is that there are many ways that technology is advancing learning, even for very young kids.

I never liked this game, not even as a kid. However, I recognize the positive benefits of playing games with my 3-year-old Elle, and I could never deprive her of this experience. No matter how painful. However, I’ve recently been saved from some of this pain. I must thank Geetha B. Ramani and Robert S. Siegler of Carnegie Mellon University for their article Promoting Broad and Stable Improvements in Low-Income Children’s Numerical Knowledge Through Playing Number Board Games.

Who says Valentine’s Day is only about Hallmark and sugar? Classrooms can find creative ways to expand this holiday into a great learning opportunity. Try having your class send a valentine to their favorite number! This can be a great thing to put up on a bulletin board for the day of the big party.

Recently, a friend of a friend who had reviewed our offering wrote to me and said, "Overall I find the business model of a monthly charge very strange for a children's learning software. Usually one buys a book or a CD/DVD for a one time price and can use it indefinitely. DreamBox's offering basically means that now parents need to pay over and over again if their kids want to revisit lessons or if they are just slow learners. A more appropriate pricing model would be to sell the service per lesson or grade level. That would appeal a lot more to me. Think about it. I have to spend $100 for one year of service and after that I basically lose access to the learning tools unless I continue paying. For $100 each year I get many learning software on CD/DVDs or books and I can keep them forever. That is a very easy decision in my mind."

Sorry, but this is a short commercial for a great non-profit program, The Math Olympiad. The program is a great way to get kids excited about doing fun and challenging math. I had a chance to be involved with this a couple years back when I co-coached our elementary school’s team. The kids really enjoyed the teamwork and competitive spirit of it – which are aspects generally missing from the math classroom.

I renewed my love of Yahtzee a few months ago, in a little cottage in Hawaii when my husband and I discovered it was the only board game in the place. We were trapped inside at 7pm every night with our three month old baby and spent many hours playing this fun and competitive game. Yahtzee is fast paced, has the chance elements of winning big but also requires strategy. During the long days and nights with an infant it was also perfect because the game plays pretty quickly and can be renewed at any time

When we conceived the idea for DreamBox Learning online math games, we knew that homeschoolers would be people we understand and relate to. After all, we have a lot in common. Homeschoolers believe in taking no chances with their kids' education. DreamBox agrees. Homeschoolers believe that hands-on, individualized learning is crucial. DreamBox agrees. While these bloggers represent a range of views and approaches, they share a passion for education, they believe each child deserves a quality learning experience, and they are willing to invest their time and effort to making that happen. That's also the mission that DreamBox Learning is founded on.

It is always nice to have a fresh perspective on old traditions, but math on a holiday? Many kids will groan if their parents suggest such a thing. There is a way to make the connection between Thanksgiving and math, but it’s always nice to start off this lesson with a story...