Mastery requires Productive Practice.
Mastering mathematics is no different from learning to play basketball or the piano; it must be practiced and that practice must be productive. Most practice, or what is often referred to as homework, is extremely unproductive. But, what are the ingredients to productive practice? First, the practice must be individualized to each student, it has to adapt to that learners particular learning curve. EnableMath assigns problems at a difficulty level matched to the student's progress throughout the assignment until mastery is reached, no more or less problems than necessary. Second, students must receive immediate feedback to know where they stand in the learning process. EnableMath provides this feedback to the student as well as the teacher, coach or parent in real time for effective intervention. Third, the student must have immediate access to supportive content that is effective in helping that student understand the concept. EnableMath provides a rich array of content in multiple formats that is designed to engage the student in ways that meet that students learning style.
Practicing productively and learning visually are the keys to a comprehensive understanding and fluency in the application of mathematics.
Practicing the Math
The Enablemath technology is designed to maximize the value or productivity of practice because we believe that it is absolutely necessary for success. Every student receives a distinctly different set of problems. The student begins with easy problems and moves through the learning curve until they are able to solve a sufficient number of difficult problems to indicate mastery. The student receives no more or less problems than are needed. Each problem is matched to the progress level of the student and, if the student is having difficulty, less difficult problems are provided until the student gains understanding and confidence to move ahead. Finally, the student receives immediate feedback so that timely help can be obtained. As students master assignments, they build confidence and before long they really understand the value of practice.
Visualizing the Math
Math is a visual language and to truly understand it you have to picture it. Some students are able to create a mental image of the mathematical concept but many, perhaps most, are not. The computer provides us with a means to bring these visualizations to the screen for all students. We developed the Enablemath technology to visually represent the concepts in math, to make those visualizations dynamic so that they move and change, and interactive so that students can manipulate them again and again to build and reinforce their real understanding of the mathematical concept.
Stepping through the Math
In order to solve mathematical problems students need to understand and apply the appropriate algorithm or sequence of steps to reach the desired end state or answer. The Enablemath technology provides the student with interactive examples for every mathematical concept. These allow the student to step through each type of problem they are required to solve and to change the values in the problem to alter the outcome, the way a teacher would in class. The emphasis is not on just reading a textual presentation or even watching on a computer screen but instead on the active engagement of the student in working through the steps.