“I don’t know…” vs. “I don’t know!”

When was the last time you had to admit that you did not know something? How did it feel to make that admission?

Last week a teacher asked me a question about a new Knowre Math feature and I simply did not know the answer. In that moment I felt frustrated and disappointed. I hate not knowing something that I “should” know. While I am not shy to admit “I don’t know”, the phrase itself will often come out in a deflated and disappointed manner.

The Knowre Math Lesson Assignment feature is now available on your Teacher Dashboard! Learn more about the how, when, and why of this new feature below.

Q: Why should I make an assignment when I can just tell students what they should be working on? 

There are four main reasons to consider using the Lesson Assignment feature:

Just in case you haven't heard, Fortnite is an incredibly popular video game that seemingly every kid, teenager, and young adult is mildly (or seriously) addicted to.

Although it is easy to write-off Fortnite as just another video game, it is important to understand the reasons behind Fortnite's meteoric rise and sustained popularity. Furthermore, we can examine Fortnite and see what teachers can learn from Fortnite's expansive playbook that has made it the most prominent video game at this point in time. Let's review:

• What is Fortnite? 
• Why is Fortnite so addicting and popular?
• What can teachers learn from Fortnite?

School districts, now more than ever, are relying on technology in the classroom. Where in the past there may have only been a few options to choose from, today the number of options is vast. Last school year, U.S. school districts accessed an average of 703 different EdTech tools every month. This represents a 28% increase over the 2017-2018 school year. With so many tech tools available, how can teachers go about deciding the what, when, and how of tech tool integration? As with many things in the classroom, the answer actually begins with a question, or in this case, 5. 

Here are 5 questions to consider when integrating technology into lesson plans in order to most effectively address student and classwide goals:

When you consider how to make digital math instruction equal and fair for all students, you are likely referring to the concept of digital mathematical equity. Initially, digital mathematical equity may appear to be simple and straightforward. However, as you scratch the surface, you can quickly begin to see how complicated reaching digital mathematical equity has become.

Defining Mathematical Equity

First, it is important to define the two components of digital mathematical equity: mathematical equity and digital equity. According to The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, creating, supporting, and sustaining a culture of mathematical equity can be defined as:

“You’ll have a great time,” the visitor center greeter said as we headed towards the trail in upstate New York. The hike was described as fun, but challenging, and we figured, despite rarely ever hiking, that we’d all be fine. Countless hours later we descended the trail thankful to be alive. Simply put, the trail was much more difficult than we could have ever imagined. While there were optional ladders and ledges placed at certain parts, in others we couldn’t figure out why these supremely helpful elements were frustratingly missing.

It is important when tackling a challenge or learning something new that there are certain supports in place to maximize desired outcomes, decrease frustration, and maintain motivation (at one point on the trail I told my friends it was best they just leave me there). Without the availability of these critical elements it’s all too easy to give up.

As an education technology company, we work diligently to create innovative and supportive products to help students learn and teachers teach. From our “Walk Me Through” technology to our personalized recommendation algorithm, Knowre develops features to support student learning in order to promote self-efficacy and student agency. We believe that all students can be successful - that students don’t hate math, they hate being frustrated. If teachers had the luxury of working one-on-one with all students all the time, students would receive the support we know they need and deserve. 

A fundamental tenet of Knowre, and something that drives all of us in our daily lives, is the belief that all students can be successful - that anyone can be good at math. It is a belief that stems from our origins as an after-school math academy in South Korea. It is a belief that is core to every aspect of our product. It is a belief that drives every decision we make for our students and teachers.

The misnomer that there are "math people" and "non-math people" is just that, a misnomer.