Learning and Leading - November 2008

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praise and encouragement through smarthelp motivates students to work harder.

When students struggle, smarthelp teaches problem-solving skills.

Introducing

It has been very interesting to observe how SmartHelp’s new motivation system has engaged my students and made them want to learn and work through math modules.

in real-time from Apangea Learning’s live, online certified teachers who would communicate with them through interactive voice, chat, and electronic whiteboard technology.

Additionally, this system provides a number of administrative tools that keep me informed of which students need help and with which skills. Most importantly, it always addresses the specific learning needs for each student.

During my 14 years of teaching, I have found that many students aren’t engaged because they can’t conceptually work through a problem. They struggle to read a problem and decipher what is important and how to apply it. SmartHelp teaches my students problem solving skills. SmartHelp gives them a new way to look at solving math by teaching them a five-step problem-solving process that helps them break down any problem into manageable steps. Each time students work through a problem, this process is reinforced and it chips away at the walls they have built. It stresses a skill set that can be used to address many different types of prob-

ISTE’s

Classroom

Observation

Tool (ICOT)

lems encountered inside and outside of the classroom.

When students complete a math lesson or even a module, it reinforces that they can do it, and it builds self-pride and confidence. One of my students last year taught himself advanced math concepts through SmartHelp. He was successfully working through problems on material he had never done or seen in a classroom or textbook.

Similarly, many of my students have never been rewarded or even praised for doing well in school. It has been very interesting to observe how SmartHelp’s new motivation system has engaged my students and made them want to learn and work through math modules. Because of the rewards provided, they actually see tangible results that correlate to their effort. Perhaps a student said it best: “Math is a lot cooler if you can learn it on a computer.” I think that I would have to agree.