Connecting to Mathletics

Along with being an wonderful learning tool, Mathletics is an excellent gateway into using technology in the classroom. 21st Century learning conjures up images of students complimenting their education with personal devices, however, the truth is that there are many classrooms where teachers are not yet comfortable using this learning resource. As an educational leader I ask myself how I can support teachers with integrating technology into student learning. One strategy is through collaborative professional development as was done with Storybird, while another is to provide teachers with well-structured programs that allow for student-centered and self-directed learning experiences.

I became familiar with the Mathletics while teaching at Tokyo International School where it was implemented school-wide. Personally, I’m a real fan of the program. It allows students to explore math concepts in an engaging and challenging manner that utilizes technology – which they love. There are two parts to Mathletics for the students; concept learning and Live Mathletics. The concept learning begins with a pre-assessment that intuitively matches the problems to the students’ ability based on their responses. This is followed by eight units of learning that connect directly to a number of global curriculums. Live Mathletics tends to be the students’ favourite area of the program because they compete with students from around the world. In terms of accountability, Mathletics allows teachers  full access to individual results and to focus-in on areas where students require support or increased challenge.

At Ridgeview Mathletics has proven to be a success throughout the intermediate grades. So much so, that our intermediate teachers recently participated in a professional development session on how to effectively use Mathletics to improve student learning. News of our success has spread to a neighbouring school, École Pauline Johnson, where a licence was also purchased for a number of their students.

Mathletics is an excellent learning enhancement tool for students and creates a bridge between school and at-home learning. It also provides opportunities for students to enrich their understanding of mathematical relationships by inquiring into the full expanse of math concepts across the curricula within the Mathletics program.

I highly recommend educators take a look at Mathletics to compliment their math programs. After exposing my class to a number of options, the students found Mathletics to be the most engaging. If you are curious about the program, Mathletics offers a free one-month trial that will provide you a window into its potential usefulness in your classroom.

Finally, a quick video on the Human Calculator who is an ambassador for Mathletics.