The Elephant Learning Teacher Dashboard
Elephant Learning's teacher dashboard is now released. Here is a blog walkthrough of the dashboard.
Read More
Early elementary mathematics spans the ages of 6 to 8 years old — roughly kindergarten through second grade. Though mathematics curriculum varies from state to state and school to school, kindergarten through second is where children learn the fundamentals of math: counting, comparisons, addition, and subtraction. Children are also introduced to skip counting and the number line, two strategies that set the foundation for later elementary math. As a parent, you already know how important it is for your child to grasp these early concepts and you may be looking for a math app to help them excel. Let’s take a look at how the Elephant Learning app teaches each of these early elementary math concepts. We’ll also discuss the frequently asked question, “Does Elephant Learning align with Common Core?”
Related: The Three-Step Method to Teaching Math
In early elementary education, the first concepts that we work with are counting and comparisons — that is, quantity comparisons versus what's bigger and smaller. We might show a child an image of four objects and an image with 12 objects, and ask them to identify which has more or fewer. It's important for children to know the difference because it sets the stage for addition and subtraction.
In the Elephant Learning app, there's a seamless transition that happens from counting and comparison to addition and subtraction. This is actually why many of our young students are doing so well. We're simply walking them logically through what you would want to teach a kid to get to the very next baby step. The question “Can you produce five?” incrementally morphs into “If I have five things and someone brings one more, how many do I have now?” or “If I have five things and someone takes one away, how many do I have now?” The child learns the order of the numbers, which becomes addition and subtraction. This helps establish the order of the numbers in the child's mind, which helps them to develop numeracy — the ability to understand and work with numbers. The Elephant Learning app addresses these concepts from numerous angles. One question might ask, “A farmer had 15 carrots and gave 3 to his horse. How many does he have left?” We then approach the problem from a different angle and ask, "A farmer had 15 carrots and gave some to his horse. Now he has 12 carrots. How many carrots did he give to his horse?" By approaching the same idea from multiple angles, we help the student understand all of the language that may be used, as well as have them solve the same problem from a different angle. When they do, they are showing they are proficient, but also they are understanding the idea on a more intuitive level. If a child doesn’t have both in their head when they see the written math of 15-12, they’re going to encounter problems for years to come.
The other math skill that children work on during the early elementary years is skip counting — two, four, six, eight, and so on. The idea is for the child to start to see the grouping. Skip counting really is the precursor to multiplication, and the more advanced skip counting questions at school and in the Elephant Learning app look a lot like the multiplication questions.
Related: 5 Common Math App Pitfalls — And How Elephant Learning Is Different
Building numeracy requires students to have an understanding of all representations of the numbers. We work on numeracy using objects, though at some point it is good to abstract to a number line. This helps students see the numbers placed out sequentially in order on a horizontal line. It allows children to approach addition and subtraction from a different angle as well as allows us to determine proficiency with numeracy. For instance, our app might show a child a number line and ask them “Where’s 17 and where’s 71 on the line?” We ask this question on a number line going from 0 to 100. If the student places 17 near 71, then we know they are having an issue understanding two-digit numbers. However, if they are answering correctly, we know they have mastery of these ideas.
Early elementary mathematics focuses on the fundamentals: counting and comparisons, addition and subtraction, skip counting, and the number line. Using the Elephant Learning app, children can learn these early elementary mathematical concepts in a matter of two to three weeks versus two years of the standard school curriculum. The best part is, once a child has the understanding, a teacher can't take it away from them. Even if there’s a difference in the way that the school teaches a concept and the way the child learns with Elephant Learning, parents can reconcile the information because the concepts are solid. Mastering these skills sets the foundation for the years ahead where children will tackle multiplication, division, fractions, decimals, percentages, and more.
Elephant Learning's teacher dashboard is now released. Here is a blog walkthrough of the dashboard.
Many math apps are parent-free zones or, at best, parents are an afterthought within the app. Elephant Learning knows that the best results come when the parent is involved in the child’s education. Every study shows outcomes for students are better when parents are involved. The truth is, when I started this company, my first child was on his way. I created this system as a tool to ensure that he receives the benefits of mathematics education and avoids the American educational pitfall. We live in a time when, increasingly, if you are not the person creating the automation, you are the person being replaced by it. Our reports detail exactly how we intend to teach each topic down to the milestone level with advice on how you can further learning with fun games outside of the system. This turns your child’s playtime in the system into a tool to succeed in playtime with you. We provide advice on how to work with the students on mistakes so that the pressure is always off. At any point in time, if your student is struggling, we are always happy to look at the data and advise. That is why Elephant Learning can guarantee results. The math app you choose for your child’s learning matters. Apps that focus on games and graphics with math sprinkled throughout may end up turning those math problems into perceived work for your child (and can become addictive). Elephant Learning begins with a proven curriculum and scientific understanding of how children learn math. We then build games and puzzles around the curriculum, empowering students to truly grasp math concepts. Knowing that parental involvement is key to student success, we also ensure that you, the parent, are involved every step of the way.
I’m so grateful for Facebook and its business tools. We couldn’t have succeeded without it. — Aditya Nagrath, Ph.D., Co-founder, and CEO, Elephant Learning
Enter your email address below to get started.
