How many of your students experience some sort of math anxiety? Certain math concepts can feel like a foreign language, causing students to believe that they will never get better at math.
The first step to helping your students overcome their fear of math is to reassure them that they are not alone. In fact, nearly half of the US population reported feeling some degree of math anxiety when confronted with unfamiliar math problems.
An excellent way to help your students build confidence and mathematical fluency is by encouraging your buildings and classes to participate in fun games like the ST Math Fall Challenge.
A recent study released by Proving Ground, part of the Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard University, found that students who increased their average weekly usage in ST Math practice show higher math test score gains compared to the matched comparison group whose use remained the same.
If your school has ST Math®, a powerful visual instructional program that leverages the brain's innate spatial-temporal reasoning ability to solve mathematical problems, you can encourage students to use the program by participating in the fun Fall ST Math Challenge.
Throughout October, encourage your students to spend at least 60 minutes per week on ST Math. If your schoolwide weekly average is above 60 minutes, you (or your administrator) can enter to win a box of gifts from JiJi!
Participating in the ST Math Fall Challenge is quick and easy. Just follow these three simple steps:
1. Sign in to your Administrator account.
2. Navigate to the Usage tab.
3. If the weekly average is above 60 minutes, take a screenshot and tag @STMath on Twitter or Instagram.
If you cannot locate your school's usage data or need additional support, please email our support team.
All entries and social media posts must be submitted by administrators, not teachers, and must not reveal any student information. We will only consider schoolwide usage data for eligibility.
Schools can enter once each week starting October 1st through the end of the month. We will announce the winner at the end of the ST Math Fall Challenge on October 31st. For more information about the ST Math Fall Challenge, watch the video below:
Even if you do not participate in the schoolwide challenge, any student can track their progress each time they use ST Math by using the Fall worksheet.
On the worksheet, there is a place to mark puzzles completed, minutes in the program, and even levels completed. Setting a goal and working to achieve it increases intrinsic motivation, which inspires students to complete the challenge.
The bottom of the Fall Challenge worksheet lists three projects. Ask students to complete one of the three project options. Students can choose between constructing a quiz, designing a game, and even creating an advertisement. These projects allow students to reflect on what they've learned, use creativity to make deeper connections in math, strengthen problem-solving, and practice using important mathematical vocabulary.
Parker Erickson was MIND’s Content and Community Specialist. As a digital storyteller, Parker is passionate about building strong communities through technology and social media. Off the clock, you can find him buried in the latest issue of The New Yorker or experiencing different cultures through food.
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