Mathematical Mindsets
The Mathematical Mindsets model is superstar math educator Jo Boaler's set of books and curricula designed to help kids of all ages understand mathematical concepts while reducing math anxiety Mathematical Mindsets is a suite of expert-designed resources and books designed to help parents and teachers teach core mathematical concepts while reducing math anxiety, with a particular focus on supporting women and girls. Jo Boaler is an award winning Stanford Graduate School of Education professor who has devoted her life to supporting math education and reducing math anxiety in women and girls. The Mathematical Mindsets website features many resources, from Jo Boaler's books for educators to a full K-8 curriculum to a Youtube channel for kids and online problems and resources in algebra and calculus. Parents and teachers can use the resources to supplement any existing mathematics curriculum or to directly reduce math anxiety and build confidence and resilience in young learners. Mathematics Mindsets is the perfect resource for parents and teachers of children with any level of discomfort with math or math anxiety, and especially young women and girls with math anxiety. If a child in your life has ever cried with frustration or fear when faced with a math worksheet, this is the resource for you. The Mathematical Mindsets curriculum is rooted in child and adolescent psychology, and problems and problem sets are always designed to reduce the stress and fear of failure faced by young people. This sometimes means that there is more 'talk' around math and emotion than pure applied problem sets, which may not match some parents or teachers' preferences. To use Mathematical Mindsets most effectively, we recommend that parents or teachers access some of Dr. Boaler and Carol Dweck's work (books, online videos or articles), and the "Growth Mindset" concept. Youtube is an easy place to start here both for adults and kids. Then use the Youcubed site to find supportive K-8 curriculum, online courses, videos, books, apps, and games to match your needs.
Grades: Full curriculum for K-8, but also algebra and calculus for 9-12
Cost: Much of the Mathematical Mindsets material is free from the www.youcubed.org website or on Youtube. Dr. Boaler's books for teachers and parents and the K-8 curriculum books are sold on Amazon for $10-15 each.
OTHER DETAILS
Key features
Type of Tool: Website, Textbook, Youtube channel
Time required: Widely variable. The website links to a full K-8 math curriculum, a Youtube channel with short videos (10 minutes) designed to reduce math anxiety, as well as a set of four week-long algebra 'tasks'.
Special Needs:
Literacy Requirement (does a child need to know how to read):
Screens
Screens: Screens are optional
Online requirement:
Time
Parent/Caregiver Involvement: Parent/Teacher/Caregiver Involvement is necessary
Prep Time: Most of the resources require parent/teacher reading and preparation, but there is a You-tube based 'student-facing' course (https://www.youcubed.org/online-student-course/) that can be provided with no prep.
Other characteristics
Modality: Visual, Audiovisual, Multimedia, Hands-on/kinesthetic
Adaptive: No, it is the same for every student
Educational Philosophy: Growth Mindset/Mastery Orientation research by Carol Dweck
Other characteristics: Project-based, STEAM, STEM
Accountability
Assessment:
State Standards: Not directly aligned to state or Common Core standards, but the material is all math-based and does correspond to common school standards (fractions, algebra, calculus, etc.)
Teacher Accounts:
Read Reviews: https://amzn.to/3Sqo8vl
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