The educators at Thinkster recognize that developing a math curriculum is not a one-size-fits-all proposition. That’s why we’ve mapped our curriculum to the markets we serve – the largest being the U.S., Canada, the U.K., South Africa, Australia and India.
The Thinkster team has created a complete structured program that can easily be used in classrooms around the world, and by students who are home-schooled as well, says Sumi Chakraborty, Director of Academics for Thinkster Math.
“Our biggest differentiating factor from other programs is that we are blending machine learning and human understanding,” she says.
Tutorial videos with practice worksheets guide students to learn how to solve a problem type; and when students make errors, teachers review the pauses and use the eraser to identify what skill the student is struggling with. Test scores offer further insight into skills retention, Sumi says.
Here, Sumi shares more about the process for developing our math curriculum and how today’s students benefit. Read on:
What areas of mathematics does Thinkster specialize in?
Thinkster Math is a tablet-based program meant for children from grades K-8. We emphasize skill building and developing critical thinking, analytical and reasoning skills.
What considerations did you make when designing Thinkster’s math curriculum?
We have added layers to our math curriculum as the demands of the state standards and school curricula in the U.S. changed over the past few years. One of the advantages of using technology is that you can adapt to the needs of the times much faster. Our content has evolved based on the needs of the students and the markets we have been in. We wanted enough repetition in the four core operations such that children from grades K-3 learn effective mental math strategies to be able to solve problems quickly. This builds a strong foundation of confidence and enjoyment towards math.
Then, we added Common Core strategies and Singapore-based word problems, looked at questions on state tests and competitive exams like Math Olympiad/Math Kangaroo/Cogat Testing, etc. and mapped the curriculum to various countries where we are being widely used. We are constantly evolving and updating content and curriculum.
