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The latest giveaway is a 3 month subscription to a revolutionary math web site for children! Please read the entire post for details...
There was an interesting article circulating on Twitter this week. Culture, not Biology, Underpins Math Gender Gap, by Terry Devitt, once again calls our attention to the ongoing debate over gender differences in math. Whereas many Americans believe that children are either born with talent in math or not, it is believed in many other cultures that math skills directly correlate with effort.
I believe that both innate ability and effort play a role, but that the experiences young children have from the time they are toddlers can have a huge impact upon a child's later success. Preschool children can learn a lot by playing with blocks, shapes, dominoes, cards, pretend money, and all kinds of board games. Unfortunately, many children are not being exposed to these types of learning tools these days.
Many American children seem to have a difficult time learning math skills, especially when it comes to problem solving. According to the two University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers quoted in the article, Janet Hyde and Janet Mertz, "the United States may fall further behind other nations in math performance as tests mandated by No Child Left Behind include almost no questions requiring complex problem-solving."
That's why I'm excited to tell you about DreamBox Learning K-2 Math! It's a truly innovative, educational web site which will help your child to become not only a problem solver, but a critical thinker. DreamBox allows children to move at their own pace, and to go beyond just getting the right answer. It's individualized instruction that's presented in a fun, yet challenging, way.
People are raving about DreamBox Learning K-2 Math. It's already received numerous awards, and has been reviewed by The New York Times, ABC News, and USA Today. Parents are saying amazing things about it as well.
The company has so generously offered one of my readers a free 3 month subscription (for one child) to their site. If you have an English speaking child between the ages of 4 and 8, you are eligible to enter into the contest! All you have to do to enter is to leave a comment at this post (including your email address) no later than Tuesday, June 16th. Please note that the company also offers a free 2 week trial to new users. There is nothing to download, but you need to have the latest version of Flash.
If you are a K-2 teacher in the US or Canada, it's also important to note that DreamBox is offering qualified teachers free classroom subscriptions through June 30, 2009. You can read about it here.
In addition, I'm honored to have been asked to be a guest blogger at DreamBox Learning. You can find my first post about dominoes here.
There are many different types of resources and strategies we can use to teach math, and technology can certainly be a powerful tool. The creators of DreamBox Learning are so innovative and knowledgeable that I have the utmost confidence in their product. I hope you will take a look at their web site. It will change the way you and your child think about math!
