With This Math Games App, Growth Mindset is Possible
How does this math games app uncover a student's positive growth mindset? Read more to find out Julia's journey with Elephant Learning!
Brittanee is a mom of four kids who is trying to accommodate their different learning styles.
Her teenage son Damien has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), while her 10-year-old daughter Emma is an advanced math learner.
On top of her daily teaching demands, Brittanee is also managing her own chronic health issues with teletherapy.
Her husband works multiple jobs, so the child-rearing responsibilities are entirely in Brittanee’s hands.
But within 11 weeks, Brittanee’s teaching challenges have improved dramatically.
During that time frame, all four of her kids began playing math games on the Elephant Learning app.
Damien’s ADHD hasn’t prevented him from learning over a year’s worth of math. Emma has also mastered almost a year of math concepts.
Their younger siblings, Katherine and Henry, have mastered closer to two and a half years of math concepts.
And all four kids show no signs of slowing down in their math learning.
How did Elephant Learning manage to accelerate math learning among different kids’ abilities and ages?
Parents like Brittanee love their children for the individuals that they are.
But with only so many hours in the day, not many parents have the extra time to give each child specialized attention.
You need smart solutions to teach your kids efficiently.
That’s why many parents are turning to technology to assist with teaching math.
That’s what Brittanee discovered in Elephant Learning.
She was struggling to find a way for all four of her kids — ages 2 through 13 — to “learn math successfully.”
She explains: “They all learn differently, so teaching multiplication one way doesn't work for the other kids.”
She wanted to find a way “we can all learn together that also compliments my daughters' advanced learning capability and my sons' ADHD and learning struggles.”
Her son with ADHD is 13-year-old Damien. Though ADHD is not considered a learning disorder per se, the inability to focus can pose some challenges to learning.
Brittanee adds, “I am told Damien’s mental level is only that of a 7-year-old’s. He also has executive functioning disorder components.”
On top of these challenges, Damien’s confidence and self-esteem have suffered dramatically too. Brittanee explains:
“He has a very poor self complex due to the bullying he received in public school. He hasn't quite been able to find his self-esteem the way we had hoped and that makes learning for him a challenge because the words ‘I"m stupid!’ leave his lips far too much.”
She was looking for “a solution that is fun but also complimentary to him that can help boost his self-esteem and let him know he is special and just learns a little differently.”
Many parents can relate to Brittanee’s wish for Damien.
Her 10-year-old daughter Emma is “very advanced both mentally (in maturity) and intellectually. She is a very fast learner.”
Kids who seem ahead of their peers demand a degree of engagement to keep their learning momentum going.
Katherine, who is almost 6 years old, has already shown Brittanee “a love for learning” and a desire “to be able to do things on her own.”
Those early signs of an independent attitude are exciting, but can also create frustration in kids when their aptitude doesn’t keep pace.
Brittanee calls her youngest son Henry “the wildest of the bunch. He is rambunctious...and extremely intelligent. He is already counting forward and backward, and knows some shapes.”
High-energy kids like Henry can also have trouble sitting still for math lessons, even if their math knowledge is strong.
On top of these challenges, Brittanee’s teaching budget was limited. Many of the outside learning activities she had previously relied on had been canceled due to COVID-19.
“Trying out so many new things with the children, as well as having home teletherapy each week, I have only been able to afford so much in terms of trying out other education options.”
Elephant Learning was the cost-effective math accelerator she needed for her kids.
Making math fun is what Elephant Learning is all about.
It’s an example of math gamification. It isn’t traditional math problems dressed up in animations. It is a research-proven approach to teaching math, designed by math educators.
It teaches fundamental math concepts in the disguise of animated puzzles.
The puzzles dynamically adapt to each child’s learning level. That means no two kids play exactly the same game because the difficulty level depends on the player.
That’s what makes Elephant Learning the perfect solution for kids of all learning abilities.
Whether you’re Damien or Emma, Elephant Learning provides an appropriate pace of instruction based on their existing skills and allows them to advance at their own rate.
This type of adaptive teaching tool helps kids feel confident in their learning abilities. It gives them a boost of confidence with easy puzzles and progressively gets harder.
That subtle increase in a challenge is what keeps them engaged without getting frustrated. And there’s no need for them to fear failure.
If they don’t solve a puzzle correctly, they’re encouraged to “try again!” If they can’t figure it out, they can move on to another puzzle.
The Elephant Learning app tracks all of your child’s activities, and identifies the math concepts they’re struggling with. Those concepts will be reintroduced in another format, to make sure your child doesn’t miss any critical math concepts.
Making sure every child masters fundamental math concepts is what makes Elephant Learning an effective teaching tool.
Jo Boaler, a Stanford researcher and professor of math education, has studied the most effective ways to unleash the math potential in all learners.
She says, “Mathematics learning is not a race. It is the mathematical depth that inspires students and keeps them engaged and learning mathematics well, setting them up for high-level learning in the future.”
Even if it appears that your child is “lagging behind” because they’re struggling with a math concept, in reality, they need that foundation in order to properly advance.
If they don’t master a concept now, it will eventually catch up with them later.
That’s why kids who play on Elephant Learning see their math learning continue to accelerate over time.
Related: Tortoise and Hare: Elephant Learning for Homeschooling at All Paces
The principal characteristics of ADHD are inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. Though ADHD is not considered a learning disability itself, it can negatively impact a child’s learning.
According to the Learning Disabilities Association of America, “30 to 50 percent of children with ADHD also have a specific learning disability,” which can make learning “extremely challenging.”
Learning situations that engage the senses have proven effective. And, allowing students to choose activities is also highly beneficial.
In fact, student choice is a powerful teaching tool, regardless of whether kids have a learning disability.
When kids are empowered to choose their learning tasks, they become more interested and invested in those activities.
Nurturing that active engagement not only facilitates learning, it leads to more successful information retention.
Unlike traditional math lessons, Elephant Learning games meet all of these guidelines for ADHD learners.
For kids like Damien who were already insecure about their math abilities, Elephant Learning is a fun activity rather than a dreaded exercise.
Elephant Learning taps into Damien’s own interests. He loves dinosaurs, superheroes, Lego, drawing, and video games.
Damien can choose among games that feature animated dinosaurs, robots, and fantasy creatures. Some puzzles make him shade in a pattern or move animated blocks.
When he began playing on Elephant Learning, Damien was doing math at a level below his peers. But within 11 weeks he has mastered over a year’s worth of math concepts. He continues to show progressive improvement.
Discovering your child has a natural ability to do math can be thrilling. You might think your child needs to advance rapidly to more complex math problems.
But it’s important to first confirm that your child understands math concepts, and is not simply a speedy calculator or adept memorizer.
That’s why Elephant Learning first gauges your child’s existing math abilities by presenting some seemingly simple puzzles.
Though 10-year-old Emma appeared to be at an advanced stage in math, Elephant Learning found some gaps in her conceptual understanding.
She was actually doing math at an 8-year-old’s level. But Emma didn’t know that. She just continued playing her games.
Puzzles that make her fill in drawings or manipulate building blocks tap into her love for creativity. As someone who loves cooking and reading, she’s a big fan of the games that feature food items and books.
A sprint-like attitude may seem tempting, but using the Elephant Learning app for 30 minutes per week helps her build a strong mathematical foundation.
Within 18 weeks, Emma mastered almost a year of math concepts and shows no signs of slowing down.
Katherine has shown early signs that she’s an independent learner.
Luckily for Brittanee, she can give Katherine the freedom to play on Elephant Learning whenever she wants. She has 24/7 access to age-appropriate games.
Katherine gets to pick which games she wants to play. The app doesn’t force her down a certain path.
Within 18 weeks of playtime, Katherine has mastered over two years of math concepts. She’s now on track with her 6-year-old peers.
Two-year-old Henry has lots of energy, and “loves communicating with everyone,” says Brittanee.
Henry can play on Elephant Learning like his older siblings. That gives him something he can talk about with his brother and sisters.
In fact, having kids talk to each other about math is an important way parents can cultivate math fluency.
And with so many interesting puzzles to choose from, Henry stays engaged in his lessons. He loves music and is particularly fond of the games featuring musical instruments.
Within 12 weeks of playtime, Henry is now doing math at a 5-year-old’s level.
All of Brittanee’s kids have accelerated their math learning without sacrificing critical math knowledge.
“Together it can be so much fun when we can all get along,” she says.
Related: Why Your Child is Behind in Math (Yes, Even Your Child)
Districts or Teachers that enroll in our pilot program can try the program for free in their classrooms.
Here is a collection of publications created by both third-party and our in house team of scientists to examine the progress of students, classrooms, and schools within our system.
