"I believe we will see math scores
begin to rise by 2026," says Travis Ratnam Knowledgehook
CEO
SCARBOROUGH, ON, May 7, 2024
/CNW/ - Knowledgehook CEO Travis
Ratnam, visited an elementary school in his hometown of
Scarborough this Monday to kick
off his North American "Mathalon Tour" aimed at reversing the
downward trend in math scores.
Over 100 weeks, his tour will reach 100 schools to empower
teachers to inspire math confidence in their students. "We now have
the tools to support every teacher, and we will begin to see a
turnaround in student math scores by the end of the tour," Ratnam
shared with optimism.
Year after year, elementary math scores have been trending down
across Canada and the United States. This alarming statistic has
become a reality due to many factors including hard-to-access
professional training for teachers and dwindling student interest
in math. The trend must be reversed and there has to be a better
way forward for our education system.
The company is working with over 60 districts in the province
and several others across the country and is one of the few
education technology companies with a publicly stated mission
dedicated to turning around math scores. Knowledgehook
appreciates the relentless efforts of government partners in both
provinces and states, enhancing investments in educational
technologies that facilitate learning. "This collaboration is
crucial for the systemic changes we aim to achieve through our
tour," Ratnam noted.
According to Ratnam, education technology has matured to the
point that Knowledgehook can now solve the two key issues that are
crucial to turning around math scores: delivering personalized
teacher professional learning and motivating students to take
ownership of their learning.
Last year, Knowledgehook's software delivered over 10,000
professional learning sessions to teachers, with over 50% of these
sessions completed after school hours. Each session assesses
students' needs and will give teachers access to targeted same-day
professional learning support based on those needs.
Another positive consequence is that students are regularly
asking for more 'Knowledgehook', as school districts are working to
put the math software into classrooms. "Kids are asking for more
math activities after they experience Knowledgehook!" says
Mark Breadner. Breadner was a
very early supporter of Knowledgehook and a former TDSB teacher who
later went on to start FIRST Robotics Canada, the leading K-12
robotics competition nationwide.
Ratnam is hopeful that solving these two problems will pioneer a
shift in math scores across Canada
and the United States. "We're going to visit 100 schools, one
every week, and by the end of this tour, we'll show that everyone,
both teachers and students, can overcome their fear of math. We
believe we can change the trajectory of math scores, through our
rapidly evolving solution," announced Ratnam.
Knowledgehook aims to put fun math activities in the hands of
kids not only across North and South
America, but eventually across the globe. Ratnam has high
hopes that moving math scores by a few percentage points, on
average, across our education systems, can increase GDP output.
"I believe that one day, they'll say that the global turnaround
in math scores started right here in small suburban Scarborough, one teacher, one student at a
time. Any child can learn math, even the most unlikely students. By
the end of this tour, we hope to have demonstrated that even
kindergarten students from any neighbourhood can learn math
concepts as complex as fractions", says Ratnam.
Knowledgehook's "Mathalon Tour", led by Ratnam, will start on
the first day of school this September
2024, running for two years, or until math scores across the
continent start to rise, however, Ratnam is optimistic that the
rise will start to take place before the tour is
completed.
Additional Resources
Knowledgehook Home Page: www.knowledgehook.com
Knowledgehook's Founding Story:
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/travis-ratnam-12645412_exciting-reveal-in-24-hours-in-one-day-activity-7112030310418026496-_r7e?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop
Cohen, Patricia. "Closing Education Gap Will Lift Economy, a
Study Finds." New York Times.
2015-02-02.
https://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/03/business/economy/closing-education-gap-will-lift-economy-study-finds.html
Research
- Wiliam, D. (2011). "Embedded Formative Assessment." Solution
Tree Press.
Summary:
Dylan Wiliam's book details the
strategies of embedding formative assessments in everyday teaching
practices. It underscores that continuous, formative assessments
tailored to the learning progress of students can dramatically
enhance mathematical understanding and achievement by providing
timely feedback and adjustments to teaching strategies.
- Timperley, H. (2007). "How Does Professional Learning Change
Teachers' and Principals' Work?" Journal of Curriculum Studies,
39(5), 479-508.
Summary:
In this study, Timperley explores the transformation in teaching
practices following targeted professional development. The findings
suggest that when teachers receive professional learning tailored
to their instructional needs, it not only changes their teaching
practices but also significantly boosts students' learning outcomes
in math.
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SOURCE Knowledgehook Inc