Reflection

About the Author

My name is Malorie Fisher and I am a Grade 8 Math and Science teacher in Manitoba. Working in a province that routinely scores the lowest in the field of numeracy, often has me wondering what I can do to have my students be more engaged in mathematics and also how to have my students be more successful. Even though my teaching philosophy isn't based on test scores (firm believer in project based learning/deeper learning) it is still important to have students understanding and achieving the curricular outcomes. Introducing Mathletics into my classroom has offered an additional way that my students are able to become engaged with the mathematical concepts and show their learning and understanding. Mathletics also allows me to track my students' progress and utilize this data to drive and direct my classroom teaching.

Reflection

I chose Mathletics for this assignment as I was familiar with the program and firmly believe in the success that Mathletics has in increasing students achievement in mathematics. I have been working with Mathletics in my classroom now for three years and it has certainly played a major role in my math programming. I would like to share with you how I utilize the Mathletics program in my classroom as well as what I have learned throughout my analysis as an EVA.

I integrate Mathletics into my classroom teaching by concept or curricular outcome. My students learn the lesson associated with the concept, complete practice work either from the textbook or another source then follow up with the assigned Mathletics questions. This format allows me to instantly see if my students understand the concept, via Mathletics, or if they need more practice prior to completing an assignment. The teacher console is very impactful and provides me with a lot of information; whole class data and individual student data on the specific concept we are currently working on. If needed, I am able to reassign the concept for more practice, or assign a harder version for those that need a challenge.

I currently have four students working on Individualized Education Plans. Mathletics allows me to create a distinct group for these students and assign them activities that are specific to them and their learning goals. I can change the grade level and outcomes with each new concept, to find the exact material to suit their learning needs.

I have found that the majority of my students often work on Mathletics at home, refreshing and reviewing concepts throughout the year. On the teacher console I am able to see which outcomes students are practicing and when their last attempt at that task was. It is also a really nice feature that students are able to work on Mathletics until the next school year begins. I have found that the majority of my Grade 8 students will utilize the program in the summer, as they prepare to enter high school.

As I conducted my analysis on Mathletics it was very interesting to look at all that Mathletics truly does have to offer. Prior to this assignment, I knew I loved the program and I knew it was helping my students, but reading global student achievement reports truly showed me that the program does have huge implications for success in mathematics. I also was not aware of all of the features of the program prior to this assignment. From my research, I was most impressed to discover the emphasis Mathletics places on diversity and inclusion and how deliberate this was in there overall design of the program. Being this deliberate about the topic of diversity and inclusion is something I would like to consider when designing my own venture pitch for A3. During my research I also discovered the global partnership that Mathletics has with UNICEF. This is something that I will definitely emphasis next school year with my students, as I think it is important for them to recognize and understand why this partnership is important and necessary. The last thing I discovered during my research for this analyst report was ALL of the different ways data can be represented and displayed in the teacher console. I am looking forward to experimenting with these new ways of examining student data next school year.

Overall, I really enjoyed this assignment and looking at Mathletics through an analysts perspective. Although I did find it challenging in the beginning, once I started researching and finding information, it all came together. It is certainly strange to not try and emphasis the program to a buyer but rather to an investor. I enjoyed challenging my thinking and writing in this style. This process has certainly started to prepare me for the next portion of this course. I look forward to challenging my thinking even more when creating my own venture and marketing it to an investor in A3.

Recommendation

Mathletics is an incredible, well in-depth, much needed resource for many individuals around the globe. As an EVA, I would certainly recommend investing into Mathletics and it's parent company, 3P Learning, for the following reasons:

It Makes Money. With over 4.1 million users and the average cost per user being $12, Mathletics is guaranteed to generate over $49 million dollars per year. Mathletics is thriving on the fact that subscriptions renew yearly and due to the success of the program, purchasers will likely be renewing the subscriptions for their schools or homes.
High Praise/It Works. Mathletics has been backed by many well known educators, but also has been publicly supported and praised by the Education Department from the University of Oxford. This document, from Oxford, shows and supports Mathletics' claim of increasing numeracy scores. There is even more support in the document, Mathletics - The World Agrees, which produces a breakdown by country, of how Mathletics has improved numeracy scores from around the world.
Charity. Mathletics' partnership with UNICEF has been able to help in 27 school communities thus far. Investing in a company that prides itself in helping not only schools around the world, but the entire community is a nice investment perk. To view how Mathletics is helping globally, please click here.
Commitment to Diversity. Mathletics success around the globe is largely in part of the fact that the program prides itself on being inclusive to all. All users feel accepted and appreciated regardless of race, gender, age, ability of religion. To read more about Mathletics commitment to diversity and inclusion, please click here.

After reading my Analysis Report and looking at the above reasons, I hope it is clear to you that Mathletics is an easy investment decision. Now what do you say? Deal, or no deal?