The Mathnasium centers in North Vancouver and Collingwood are a part of the Mathnasium math-only learning center’s network with over 1000+ locations in the US and Canada. They help kids in grades 2-12 understand math by applying the unique Mathnasium Method™. The method was created by Larry Martinek, who has spent 40+ years designing, developing, and refining this approach based on his extensive experience teaching math to kids. The method consists of three key components which are closely monitored and adjusted to address each child’s learning goals – assessment of child’s math skills; designing a customized learning plan; and implementing the learning plan by specially trained instructors who work with each student to ensure they master the material. Each student works on their own individual material that was created to target their needs. The aim is to build on a child’s math knowledge – this helps kids learn quickly and boosts their confidence right away. The instructors operate on a 2:1 or 3:1 teacher-student ratio and use rotation-based team teaching.
What challenges did Mathnasium of North Vancouver and Mathnasium of Collingwood face?
In March 2020 British Columbia was placed under lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Mathnasium team in North Vancouver and Collingwood had already planned to start delivering online classes but they had to speed things up and find a solution that met their needs in a very short time.
They were looking for a technology that:
- was robust enough to provide a seamless transition from in-center to online learning;
- was scalable to handle the demands of many students joining at once;
- could provide individual working spaces (rooms) where students could work on their personalized material;
- allowed the instructors to switch between the individual rooms and work with each child;
- provided storage for the administrators’ and teachers’ materials;
- offered teacher-student interaction through videoconferencing;
- had tools for delivering interactive game-based activities.
Why did the Mathnasium centers in North Vancouver and Collingwood choose VEDAMO?
The Mathnasium centers in North Vancouver and Collingwood chose VEDAMO because it allowed them to simulate the in-center environment and learning experience in an online format. The key benefits of using VEDAMO for them are that:
- It allows them to deliver high-quality instruction by using various tools and features for interactive teaching: they engage the kids through videoconferencing; practice team teaching; play games with the students; and provide real time feedback for each session by working interactively on the online whiteboard.
- The instructors can easily create breakout rooms for kids to play quick math-related games and move quickly in between them.
- The instructors can quickly load an individual student’s material during online classes.
- The students and instructors spend very little time troubleshooting and preparing for classes and more time delivering and learning math in a very high quality experience.
- They use VEDAMO’s single classroom link and integrate it into their scheduling app, which gives them flexibility in scheduling online classes.
“The kids like that it is very easy to join classes online. They are getting the same level of instruction as in the Mathnаsium center. We love VEDAMO for its simple user interface and how easy and straightforward it is to use for our teachers as well for our customers and students,” shares Alvin and Ralu, Center Directors.
