DreamBox Learning®» math education

Leaders to watch: EdNET’s Best for 2011 awards ceremony in Denver, Colorado

Alice Y — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 21:20:17 +0000

Thank you to all of you who voted back in April for DreamBox Learning’s CEO and president, Jessie Woolley-Wilson. Because of your votes, Jessie is being honored with the “Leader to Watch in the education business community” award at EdNET’s Best for 2011 awards ceremony. The 2011 EdNET Conference is taking place in Denver, Colorado, from September 25 to 27. During the keynote address on Tuesday, September 27, Jessie will be recognized for her significant contribution to the education industry. Congratulations, Jessie! We at DreamBox Learning are honored to have you as our CEO and president.

Math & Literacy are Equally Important, but Don't Get Equal Time

Sue — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 23:17:19 +0000

Highlights from the DreamBox Parent Survey on Math Education Recently, because we are always interested in parents’ opinions and experiences, we asked parents of DreamBox users how they feel about a number of issues related to their children’s education. We conducted a survey asking about learning activities at home, how math and literacy are taught in school, interactions with their kids’ teachers, and the role of technology in education. We thought you might be interested in what these engaged parents said! 528 parents participated, with children ranging from 4 - 8 years old (almost exactly split between boys and girls), and many parents took the time to add their comments and provide insight. Here are some highlights that we found interesting from the survey responses. While math and literacy are equally important, they don’t get equal time Parents are spending significantly more time with their children on literacy activities than on math, even though most parents believe literacy and math are equally important for their children’s futures.

72% of parents also report that literacy teaching is individualized to each student, while only 50% report that math teaching is individualized. Many parents believe the “gender gap” in math education is disappearing 63% of the respondents believe there is no gender gap in math education. However, this question elicited a particularly high number of comments. Many believe the gap has existed but give their schools credit for addressing the gap. Some parents commented that there was less of a gender gap in early elementary grades, but that it may increase in higher grades. Parents would appreciate getting more teacher communications A majority of parents get teacher communications monthly or only with term report cards, but 56% would prefer more teacher communications. Only 1% would prefer to get fewer teacher communications. A majority would prefer to receive emails about their child’s specific progress, the curriculum, and class activities. And 46% would like to access this information through a website. Parents try to communicate positive attitudes toward math 46% of parents feel (or felt as students) apprehensive about math. And a majority (65%) believe their own feelings influence their child. This was another hot-button question, getting a lot of comments from parents! Many stressed their efforts to turn around their own negative feelings and ensure they’re positively influencing their child. Most parents believe technology improves education A very strong majority, 94% of respondents, believe that computers and technology can enhance the subject matter being taught in school; while 66% believe that technology access will enhance their child’s ability to learn, and help him or her be successful. We would like to thank all of the parents who participated in the DreamBox survey. If you’d like to download the full DreamBox parent survey summary, click here .

10 Secret Celebrity Math Learning Geeks

Tracy — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 22:09:09 +0000

In a departure from our normally serious-minded focus here in the DreamBox blog, we decided to have a little fun. Because we've discovered that there's a secret math geek lurking beneath the polished surface of each of these celebrities!

DreamBox Learning Presents 10 Celebrity Math and Science Geeks

1. Danica McKellar

(The Wonder Years) Kevin Arnold was infatuated with Winnie the entire run of the hit show, The Wonder Years. If her character was anything like the actress, he should have wooed her with math wizardry. Danica McKellar is not only a former child star, she's a New York Time best selling author and renowned math teacher. She wrote Math Doesn't Suck and Kiss My Math, books that encourage middle-school girls to learn math. Winnie might have been whiny, but we love what Danica McKellar is doing for math.

2. Mayim Bialik

(Blossom) Every young woman remembers the character Blossom's iconic hat, best friend Six, and cool leather-jacket clad boyfriend. But few realize Mayim Bialik, the star of the 80's sitcom would go on to get a Ph.D. in neuroscience at UCLA. Her dissertation was an investigation of Prader-Willi syndrome. Talk about an overachiever!

3. Lisa Kudrow

(Friends) She played a spacey musician on the hit show "Friends", but Lisa Kudrow is incredibly smart. She graduated from Vassar College with a degree in biology. And she briefly dated Harvard graduate and fellow celebrity geek Conan O'Brien.

4. Huey Lewis

(Musician) Before Huey Lewis was with "The News," he got a perfect score of 800 on the math portion of the SAT and studied engineering at Cornell. However, he dropped out after his junior year to continue studying music.

5. Montel Williams

(Talk show host) Don't mess with Montel! The award-winning talk show host and former Marine studied Mandarin and graduated with a degree in general engineering with a minor in international security affairs. After graduation, he was selected as a special duty officer specializing in cryptology. Who knew?

6. Terrence Howard

(Hustle & Flow, Iron Man) No one would suspect that beneath his tough exterior, Terrence Howard is a science geek. He has a chemical engineering degree from Pratt University and desires a doctorate in physics. When asked, Howard effortlessly explains wave-particle theory and the law of entanglement. Howard definitely doesn't fit the pocket-protector-wearing math geek stereotype.

7. Dr. Dan Grimaldi

(The Sopranos) He played mobster twins Philly and Patsy Parisi in "the Sopranos", but his one true love is math. He holds a bachelor's degree in mathematics, a master's degree in operations research from New York University, and a Ph.D. in data processing. He teaches in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science at Kingsborough Community College in Brooklyn, New York. With his mobster mystique, we're sure he has no problem getting students to turn in their homework.

8. Art Garfunkel

(Musician) Can Garfunkel add anything else to his long list of interests? He's a Grammy award winning musician, as well as a poet, and actor, but he's also a math geek! He holds a master's degree in mathematics from Columbia and his brother, Jerome Garfunkel was the former member of the America and International Committees that wrote the specification for the COBOL programming language.

9. Cindy Crawford

(Actress and supermodel) The super model is also super smart! Cindy Crawford was her high school Valedictorian. She received a full-ride scholarship to study chemical engineering at Northwestern University. After one quarter, she dropped out to model full time, but she could have had a fabulous, albeit less glamorous, science career.

10. Tom Hanks

(Oscar award winning actor) He's an academy award winning actor, but all he really wanted to be was an astronaut. Hanks is on the Board of Governors of the National Space Society. He wanted to join the astronaut program but we're pretty sure he was meant to be an actor. And hey, he got to play an astronaut in Apollo 13. Now, whenever your kids complain about their math homework, tell them that even cool celebrities study math and science! Lisa Kudrow image courtesy of thebuibrothers.com

Does Mandating Higher Academic Standards Work?

Sue — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 20:15:21 +0000

There’s no question that a strong foundation in algebra is one key to raising academic standards, increasing the competitiveness of our future workforce and opening doors to broader career choices for students. But my attention was caught recently by the study of the effects of mandating algebra in 9th grade.

The Effects of Mandating Algebra in School Math Programs:

In 1997 the Chicago school district was one of the first to require that 9th graders take algebra to help ensure that its high school graduates would be ready for college. And many districts have followed—Minnesota and California even requiring it in 8th grade, assuming the California policy is implemented. However, researchers found rising failure rates, and the algebra mandate “did not seem to lead to any significant test-score gains for students in math or in sizeable increases in the percentages of students who went on to take higher-level math courses later on in high school.” (You can read the Edweek article I’m quoting here.) But isn’t it obvious that if algebra is the needed foundation for their future, kids need the right early foundation to be successful in algebra? All of which reinforces my belief in the importance of what we’re doing at DreamBox: helping more kids develop conceptual understanding and fluency with basics—like number sense and computation—and giving them engaging ways to develop problem solving skills. We're helping kids to be confident and well prepared for success with algebra.

How I was Saved from the Horrors of Candy Land

Mickelle — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 15:52:05 +0000

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.” I’ll admit, I didn’t read the entire article. I skimmed large portions of it. Lots of edu-speak and statistical numbers. But it did get me to thinking about changing the way I use traditional children’s games with my daughter. So I attacked Candy Land differently. I put aside the traditional cards with one or two colors indicating if one should move 1 red space or 2 yellow spaces, and introduced a squishy yellow die with dots representing the numbers 1 to 6. Elle thought the die was fun. Little did she know she was practicing the early math skill of recognizing dot patterns (or quick images) up to 6. Try this with your own child. It’s truly surprising how quickly they roll and say, “five” or “four” without counting each dot on the die. With every roll, she also had to move that many spaces. This isn’t so easy for a 3-year old that doesn’t quite have one-to-one tagging down. She counts as she moves, but she doesn’t always move exactly one space for each number counted. So, when appropriate, I’d help her move or point to each space as we counted together. On my turns (when she wasn’t moving my piece for me), I’d model making my piece jump one space for each number counted. Elle absolutely loved playing the game this way, and I loved turning this into an opportunity to watch and learn from her. As a teacher, I was challenged to keep the experience light-hearted yet below her frustration level. As a mom, I just had fun teasing and laughing along with Elle.

The Challenges of Math Education for Your Child: Making Learning Fun

Other variations for using Candy Land with 3-6 year olds: I know Elle won’t be entertained by this forever, and I’ll want to challenge her more as she grows. Here are some twists I’ll use in the future. (Am I actually looking forward to playing more Candy Land?):

Change the die used. Use a die with numerals 1-6; or better yet, 1-10, 1-12 or 1-20. As a teacher, I have a collection of these. Dice are cheap. Make the investment.
Rotate picking a card with picking a die. The traditional cards make the game move a lot faster, unless you get sent back to the beginning!
Roll two dice. Start with two dice, each using dot patterns. Then, combine one die with a dot pattern and one using numerals. Finally, use two dice with numerals. This introduces adding to the game.
Roll two dice. Choose one to move. This adds strategy to this traditional game of chance.
Pick a card and a die (for a slightly older child). Let your child decide if she should use the card first or the die first. Again, this adds strategy to the game.
Let your child choose if she wants to use a die or the cards. Then, use the opposite. What happens? Does your child think one choice is better than the other? Why? Is one scarier or riskier? Why?

DreamBox Ranks the Top Eight Homeschooling Blogs

Sue — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 01:58:00 +0000

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. So it seemed only fitting that we dedicate our latest top blog round-up to these largely unsung heroes. This blog is dedicated to homeschoolers who do the hard work of teaching day in and day out, because they believe that education and home must mix. Without further ado, let's see who made the list!

Mental Multivitamin. What's neat about this blog is that it celebrates not only homeschooling but the joy of learning in general. The author, who refers to herself as M-MV, is a voracious intellectual who is brilliant at finding great stimulus for the mind and using it in her blog posts. In fact, her cultural insights are so savvy and piercing, you will almost certainly pick up a great tip for a new intellectual venue by spending a little time with Mental Multivatamin. From teaching Shakespeare to homeschooled kids to the truth about math in public schools, enjoy the sharp insights of Mental Multivitamin.
Throwing Marshmallows. With a name like that, you know you are in for an interesting read. Throwing Marshmallows does not disappoint in its enjoyable accounts of the homeschooled adventures of two energetic boys. For example, if your knowledge of children's magazines extends to Highlights and umm....Highlights, you will certainly enjoy this post on great kids' magazines ( you might just find some great niece and nephew gift ideas too). For something a little more serious, check out this thought-provoking post on how homeschooling affects the rights of children. From light subjects like online comics, to deeper topics like ADHD, blogger Stephanie proves herself to be a studious and passionate writer who's blog can be enjoyed by homeschoolers and non-homeschoolers alike.
Fiddledeedee. Surely the most mischievous homeschooling blog on the list, Fiddledeedee has a sense of humor more infectious than the common cold in winter time. When applied to the unheralded topic of homeschooling, you get a blog that's eye-opening and entertaining. To get just a taste of the gleeful life of Fiddledee and her homeschooled brood, check out her classic 100 Things. Other gems include, "Will this involve sweating?" a look on the process of exercising with kids, or a hilarious (because it's so relatable) adventure using a GPS for the first time. Fiddledeedee also features recipes, reviews, and giveaways, so check it out! Warning: this blog may cause you to LOL!
Handmade Homeschool. This clever and unique blog is written from the perspective of "PrairiePoppins," a mother living with her family in the Canadian Prairie. She is a homeschooling mother of two, as well as an artisan, a crafter, and a fervent advocate of original thinking. Her inspiring blog is full of homeschooling highlights, wise quotes, and cool handmade challenges. Like the best homeschooling blogs we found, what sets this writing apart is the delight in everyday things that most of us are so busy we miss. We dare you to read her "Mindful Homeschooling" philosophy and not be disarmed.
Here in the Bonny Glen. This upbeat blog is by a homeschooling mother of five, going on six children. If that isn't brave enough in itself, author Melissa Wiley is also the mind behind a very cool series of books about the grandmother and great-grandmother of Little House on the Prairie author Laura Ingalls Wilder. Her blog contains plenty of homeschooling pearls of wisdom (check out Wiley's eloquent explanation of "tidal learners" versus "Fiddler Crab Homechoolers"). Her posts are interspersed with book reviews, recipes, and insightful observations into everyday life. Particularly, Wiley's gifted range as a writer can be witnessed in posts like the cackling "Who's On Surp?" and the mellower "The Quiet Joy." For a dose of nostalgia, check out this fun post on "Favorite Fictional Families" here.
By Sun and Candlelight. This pretty blog provides a cheery photo collage of homeschooling life. From the joy of board games to the fine art of breeding butterflies, By Sun and Candlelight is a sweet look inside the life of this homeschooling mother of five. Honestly, who wouldn't love learning in a classroom that looks like this ? Message to By Sun and Candlight: your schoolhouse rocks. Step inside the family chrysalis that is By Sun and Candlelight, and learn how to make your own Gratitude Tree.
PhatMommy. So modern it hurts, this sassy blogger distinguishes herself with a strong voice and specialized perspective. Case in point: "P.H.A.T" stands for "parenting, homeschooling, and technology." Basically, brave blogger Shannon went out and did something most of us only dream of: leaving a lucrative job to start her own business. The blog is made even mor interesting by Shannon's area of passion. One thing we learned throughout this blog round-up is exactly how web-savvy many homeschooling mothers are, and in that respect, Shannon is queen. From web designing, coding, and social media, Shannon is a student of all things technological, and that really gives a fresh flavor to her blog. Moreover, Phatmommy chronicles the joy and challenge of being a momaprenuer, and how the balancing act between home and work plays out daily. Nowhere is this challenge more eloquently articulated than in her post Confliction. Best line "I don't want to get a job. I want to create a project." Profound? We'd sure say so!
Relaxed Homeskool. True to its name, this blog is relaxed in the sense that it's full of gentle humor, laidback storytelling, and cute family photos. But don't let the name fool you. After finding out that this so-called "relaxed" blogger Kim has her own radio show, her own podcast, and blogs best during insomniatime, we thought "Wow! What a renaissance woman!" It was at that exact moment that we stumbled on the post about Kim's first experience at a Rennaissance Fair. True story, and a truly priceless post! The moral? Though the blog contains lighthearted topic like Christmas lights and National Handwriting Day , we figured out that Relaxed Homeskool is written by one of those elusive women who do it all and make it look easy! For a little dose of inspiration, check out Relaxed Homeschool!

Would Better Math Education Have Prevented Our Financial Crisis?

Sarah — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 16:18:12 +0000

Someone recently asked me whether better math education would have prevented or mitigated our current financial crisis. My immediate response was, "Unfortunately, no!" Our current financial woes are due to so many complex, interacting factors, including (just to name a few) lack of regulatory oversight and regulations that only applied to part of the financial ecosystem, corporations' insatiable need to maximize quarterly earnings, the very human tendencies of some people to get ahead by taking advantage of others, and the very human tendencies of many people to believe in things that are "too good to be true" (such as housing prices that can't go down, and mortgages that people can't pay for).

Ignoring the Math of the Financial Crisis

Certainly we can now all say "they just didn't do the math", and include in that sweeping condemnation the lenders who made loans to people who couldn't possibly pay them back, as well as the borrowers who signed up for payments that overwhelmed their income. But in this case, I'm afraid it was more a problem of them CHOOSING not to "do the math" than of them not being ABLE to do it. Being able to do the math can lead to success though, just ask Warren Buffet.

One Reason US Students Are Falling Behind in Math

Sarah — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 20:10:10 +0000

We've had a lively discussion in our office this week about the recent New York Times article on issues in US math education in general, and in encouraging girls to be successful in math in particular (“Math Skills Suffer in U.S., Study Finds”). What’s one of the reasons US students are falling behind in math? As the article says, “American culture does not highly value talent in math, and so discourages girls – and boys, for that matter – from excelling in the field.” As early as late elementary school or middle school, kids who used to love math all of a sudden realize that it’s not “cool”, and/or that “math is really hard and I’m not good at it so I won’t try very hard”. Talk about pre-ordaining failure! The article reports on a new study published in an academic journal last week that took a new approach to the question of whether boys are genetically more likely to be gifted in math than girls. Are genetics the reason that there are so few women mathematicians among university faculty or the top researchers? This study suggests not, but rather it is our education system and culture. There are many more kids with the POTENTIAL to be ‘gifted’ in math than kids who are actually being found, nurtured, and coached as very gifted in math, and this is a societal problem.

The Culture of Fostering Math Learning Skills

The US has a culture that tends to be anti-math, and in particular, associates being good at math with being nerdy. So in the US we’ve identified very few girls who we deem ‘talented in math’, even though many girls have the potential. And a disproportionate number of the identified highly gifted math students in the US are Asians or immigrants from a country that values math. Since some other countries – such as Bulgaria and Romania - have many more women who are very gifted in math (even though these countries are so much smaller than the US) , it is clearly a result of better math education plus a culture that expects and values it. So, as parents and educators, let’s all do our part to change this. Our kids are picking up our societal bias against math. When an adult says “Can someone else please figure out the tip for this restaurant bill? I'm not good at math!" or “I always struggled at math, so I’m not surprised my child isn’t doing well”, you can be sure that some little ears are listening!