2024 “Week of Inspirational Math” supports teachers, parents and students with creative learning opportunities, content-rich lessons and motivational videos

STANFORD, CA, UNITED STATES, August 13, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Youcubed, a Stanford University center that provides research-based resources for teaching and learning mathematics, has released a new series of free lessons and a series of mindset videos just in time for the 2024 Back to School season. The lessons have been devised to help K-12 students approach math with creativity, enthusiasm and enjoyment, and can be found at www.youcubed.org/week-inspirational-math.

Launched 10 years ago, the youcubed “Week of Inspirational Math” (WIM) series for teachers, parents, and students includes lessons that offer students open, rich mathematics experiences to inspire creative thinking and a growth mindset. The series also includes motivational videos and posters created by Stanford professor Jo Boaler and her undergraduate students. Teachers can create a custom “playlist” on the youcubed website with a different lesson, video and poster for each day of the week.

To date, previous WIM lessons have been viewed more than 17 million times, with use in schools in every U.S. state. In total, over the 10-year history of the program, WIM lessons have been downloaded in approximately two-thirds of schools nationwide. When surveyed, 98 percent of the K-12 teachers who made use of the WIM modules responded that their students were engaged when working on the lessons, and 96 percent of the students surveyed said upon completion of the lessons, they were newly motivated to delve more deeply into that mathematics work, even when work was difficult and they made mistakes. Students reported inspiration to expand their learning experiences thanks in large part to the encouragement and steady growth opportunities offered by the lessons themselves.

The lessons were developed by leading Stanford University mathematics education Professor Dr. Jo Boaler and her team at youcubed. Their approach encourages creative mathematical thinking through tasks that incorporate visuals, manipulatives, and motion in teaching and learning, drawing from recent research in “groupitizing” and “embodied cognition.” This year’s WIM lessons provide opportunities for students to draw, visualize, discuss ideas, and work with models in mathematics. The lessons ask students, at regular intervals, how they see mathematical ideas and ask students to represent mathematical ideas in a multitude of ways, such as through pictures, models, graphs, and more.

Additionally, the lessons are easily customizable through a menu system for grade and age levels, as well as by specific subjects, such as Number Sense; Probability, Data, and Statistics; Shapes, Space and Measurements; Patterns and Generalizations. There are even some lesson sections for students moving past high school to their college studies.

“These new Week of Inspirational Math resources empower students as creative problem solvers, helping them develop their own growth mindset about mathematics as they advance through lessons, reasoning and problem solving,” said Boaler. “These free, research-based lessons and accompanying motivational videos aren’t just for students, but are also valued resources for their parents and their teachers as the new school year gets rolling. Teaching these lessons at the start of the school year helps to develop a mindset culture in classrooms, setting students up for the challenges and rewards of the 2024 school year.”

To learn more about the Week of Inspirational Math, and to access the lessons free of charge, please visit:
https://www.youcubed.org/week-inspirational-math/


About youcubed
Youcubed is a research center at Stanford University that provides educators, parents and students with free K-12 math resources and affordable professional development. Led by Professor Jo Boaler of the Graduate School of Education, youcubed aims to inspire, educate and empower teachers of mathematics, transforming the latest research on math learning into accessible and practical forms. Visit youcubed.org to learn more and access free mathematics materials and information.

About Dr. Jo Boaler
In 2019, Dr. Jo Boaler assumed an endowed chair at Stanford, as the university’s Nominelli-Olivier Professor of Mathematics Education. She is additionally a youcubed co-founder. Prof. Boaler was named as one of the eight educators “changing the face of education” by the BBC, and was rated by Education Next as the Number One most influential scholar in the category of Curriculum, Instruction and Administration in 2023. Prof. Boaler is the author of online courses for teachers and students that have been taken by more than one million participants. She is the recipient of many awards, including the 2014 NCSM Equity Award and an NSF presidential award. Dr. Boaler’s former roles have included being the Marie Curie Professor of Mathematics Education for Europe, a mathematics teacher in London comprehensive schools, and a researcher at King’s College, London University. Her most recent book, “Math-ish,” was published by Harper Collins in May.

Ian McCaleb
Blue Highway Advisory
ian@bluehighwayadvisory.com

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