Month: February 2023

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming more and more prevalent in our daily lives, and there are many AI-powered websites that can help school students improve their math skills. Here are the best AI sites for school students to help them develop their maths skills

Khan Academy (https://www.khanacademy.org/)

Khan Academy is a non-profit educational website that offers a wide range of math courses and resources for students of all ages. Their math courses are designed to be interactive, engaging, and accessible, making it easy for students to learn at their own pace. Khan Academy uses AI-powered algorithms to provide personalized recommendations for each student, ensuring that they are working on the concepts that they need to improve.

DreamBox Learning (https://www.dreambox.com/)

DreamBox Learning is an AI-powered math education platform that uses adaptive learning to provide personalized math lessons to students. The platform uses AI algorithms to analyze a student’s performance and provide personalized feedback and recommendations, ensuring that they are working on the concepts they need to improve. DreamBox Learning is designed for students from kindergarten through 8th grade.

IXL Math (https://www.ixl.com/math/)

IXL Math is an AI-powered math education platform that offers a wide range of math courses and resources for students of all ages. The platform uses AI algorithms to analyze a student’s performance and provide personalized recommendations for each student. IXL Math is designed to be interactive, engaging, and accessible, making it easy for students to learn at their own pace.

Matific (https://www.matific.com/)

Matific is an AI-powered math education platform that uses gamification to make math learning fun and engaging for students. The platform uses AI algorithms to analyze a student’s performance and provide personalized feedback and recommendations, ensuring that they are working on the concepts they need to improve. Matific is designed for students from kindergarten through 6th grade.

Prodigy (https://www.prodigygame.com/)

Prodigy is an AI-powered math game that helps students learn math in a fun and engaging way. The game uses AI algorithms to analyze a student’s performance and provide personalized recommendations for each student. Prodigy is designed for students from 1st through 8th grade and covers a wide range of math concepts.

There are many AI-powered websites that can help school students improve their math skills. These platforms use AI algorithms to provide personalized recommendations, feedback, and resources, ensuring that each student is working on the concepts they need to improve. By using these websites, students can improve their math skills and develop a love for learning that will serve them well throughout their academic careers.

Mathematics and engineering go hand in hand. Mathematics is an essential tool for engineers and plays a crucial role in helping students become better engineers. In this article, we will explore how math helps students become better engineers.

Understanding and Applying Principles:

Engineering is all about applying scientific principles to solve real-world problems. Mathematics is the language of science, and without it, engineers would not be able to understand the fundamental principles that govern the world around us. By studying math, students learn how to analyze and solve complex problems, which is a critical skill for any engineer. Moreover, math helps students understand the fundamental concepts of physics, which is essential to many engineering fields.

Analyzing and Solving Problems:

Engineers are problem solvers, and math is an essential tool for problem-solving. Math helps students develop critical thinking skills and teaches them how to analyze and solve problems systematically. Engineers use mathematical concepts to create models, analyze data, and make predictions. These models and predictions help engineers design and build products that meet specific needs and requirements. One standard approach to building your maths skills is by participating in Olympiads such as the International Maths Olympiad Challenge.

Design and Optimization:

Designing and optimizing systems is another essential part of engineering. Math plays a critical role in helping engineers design and optimize systems. Mathematical models help engineers simulate and optimize systems to ensure that they meet specific requirements. By understanding mathematical concepts like calculus, optimization, and linear algebra, students can learn how to design and optimize complex systems.

Communication:

Engineers must be able to communicate complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders. Math helps students develop this skill by teaching them how to use graphs, charts, and other visual aids to communicate complex data and concepts. By using math to present data and findings, engineers can help non-technical stakeholders understand the technical aspects of their work.

Mathematics is an essential tool for engineers. By studying math, students can develop critical thinking skills, learn how to solve complex problems, and design and optimize systems. Moreover, math helps students communicate complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders, an essential skill for any engineer. Therefore, it is important for engineering students to have a strong foundation in mathematics. By doing so, they can become better engineers and contribute to solving the world’s complex problems.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming more and more prevalent in our daily lives, and it has the potential to revolutionize the way we approach mathematics education. However, some people may be concerned that relying on AI in math could compromise students’ education. This article will explore how school students can use AI in math without compromising their education.

Firstly, it is important to understand that AI should be used to enhance students’ learning experiences, rather than replace traditional teaching methods. AI can provide students with personalized learning opportunities that cater to their individual needs and help them better understand and apply mathematical concepts.

One of the most promising applications of AI in math education is the use of adaptive learning systems. These systems use algorithms to analyze a student’s performance and provide personalized feedback, allowing them to focus on areas where they may be struggling. This can help students understand the concepts better and improve their performance.

Another way that students can use AI in math education is through online tutoring. Many AI-powered tutoring platforms are available to provide students with one-on-one tutoring sessions tailored to their individual needs. These platforms can be particularly helpful for students who may not have access to traditional tutoring services or need additional support outside of regular school hours.

In addition to personalized learning and tutoring, AI can also be used to provide students with real-time feedback. For example, AI-powered educational software can analyze a student’s work and provide instant feedback on their mistakes, helping them to correct their errors and learn from their mistakes. AI is also used vastly in Olympiads like the International Maths Olympiad Challenge.

However, it is important to note that AI should not be used as a replacement for human teachers. While AI can provide valuable support, it cannot replace the guidance and expertise of a trained educator. Teachers should still play an active role in the classroom, providing students with the necessary guidance and support to ensure that they progress and fully understand the concepts being taught. In future articles, we shall discuss the best AI sites for students to help them build their maths skills.

Generally, the occurrence of students asking this question increases with growing age. Primary students know inside out that exams are very important. Brilliant middle school students consider a connection between their test results and semester mark sheets. Ultimately, upon graduation from secondary school, students have comprehended that the totality of their learning has less value than their results in the final exams.

Performance-Oriented Learning

Exam enthusiasm is an indication of performance-oriented learning, and it is intrinsic to our recent education management that needs standards-based reporting of student results. This focuses on performance apart from the method of learning and requests comparison of procurement amongst peers.

The focus for performance-aligned students is showing their capabilities. Fascinatingly, this leads to an affection of fixed mindset characteristics such as the ignorance of challenging tasks because of fear of failure and being intimidated by the success of other students.

Mastery-Oriented Learning

Mastery learning putting down a focus on students developing their competence. Goals are pliably positioned far away from reach, pushing regular growth. The phrase “how can this be even better?” changes the concept of “good enough”. Not to be bewildered with perfectionism, a mastery approach to learning encourages development mindset qualities such as determination, hard work, and facing challenges.

Most forms of mastery learning nowadays can be discovered in the work of Benjamin Bloom in the late 1960s. Bloom saw the important elements of one-to-one teaching that take to effective benefits over group-based classrooms and inspects conveyable instructional plans. Eventually, formative assessment was defined in the circumstances of teaching and learning as a major component for tracking student performance.

So where does mastery learning position in today’s classroom? The idea of formative assessment is frequent, as are posters and discussions encouraging a growth mindset. One significant missing element is making sure that students have a deep knowledge of concepts before moving to the next.

Shifting the Needle

With the growing possibilities offered by Edtech organizations, many are beginning to look to a tech-based solution like International Maths Olympiad Challenge to provide individualized learning possibilities and prepare for the maths Olympiad. The appropriate platform can offer personalized formative assessment and maths learning opportunities.

But we should take a careful viewpoint to utilize technology as a key solution. History shows us that implementing the principles of mastery learning in part restricts potential gains. Despite assessment plans, teachers will also have to promote a mastery-orientated learning approach in their classrooms meticulously. Some strategies are:

• Giving chances for student agency
• Encouraging learning from flaws
• Supporting individual growth with an effective response
• Overlooking comparing students and track performance

We think teaching students how to learn is far more necessary than teaching them what to learn.

What is a Flipped Classroom?

Most teachers understand the “Chalk and Talk” or “Direct Instruction” method. The teacher begins by reviving what they did the day before, then continue with some new theories and concepts on the board, generally seeking student attention to work through the instances. Then once the maths students have the right set of notes from the board, they would use their textbook for a particular chapter, start solving the questions given by the teacher, and expectantly complete those tasks at home for homework.

As maths tutors, we are familiar that daily practice is significant. However, the students experience problems when practising, and their teacher isn’t there to assist them. The flipped classroom vision reorganizes what comes about at home and school compared to a more conventional plan. In short, the students will first find new content mainly independently, often as homework. Then in class, most of the time burnt out practising, finishing exercises, asking questions, and working on other activities in groups, with the teacher there to guide them.

Why do a Flipped Classroom?

Flipped classrooms permit one-on-one sessions with maths students who are practising, especially for the International Maths Olympiad, so we can move further in more effective directions. Change is challenging, so why do a flipped classroom? In short, change can be strenuous but productive. Bloom’s Two Sigma Problem demonstrates that a one-on-one session is the best method for teaching and learning.

How to Flip Maths Classroom?

Choose a topic to begin with, based on the timing, but you may select a topic that you believe matches the new strategy perfectly.

No matter your standard or plan for the organization, we suggest making a calendar to organize your unit before you begin.

It would be best if you had a simple outline of what lessons or concepts you will cover each day.

If you plan to create your own video sessions, you must figure out the best video recording practices.

Explain to students

If students are used to a specific teaching style and method, changing the pattern can also be an issue for them. It’s necessary to be clear with them about the switch that is taking place, why they’re happening, and what the students should anticipate in the outcome.

This is how one can flip for a maths classroom. Happy teaching!

It’s first period, Monday morning, and I’ve written a math problem on the board. But in front of me is a room full of blank stares and lowered heads.

I’ve got to get this class motivated, so I look to one of the students in the last row. “Hey Sally,” I ask, “did you watch the Giants game yesterday?”

“No, I’m a Jets fan. They’re way better.”

Another student, Sam, pipes up, “The Patriots are the best. They have Tom Brady.”

A few other kids chime in, throwing out their favorite teams. This goes on for a minute or two. Then I turn back to Sally and ask, “What was the score of the Jets game?”

“27–14. They beat the Dolphins.”

“Was it a close game?”

I get puzzled looks, but at least the whole class is looking at me now.

“No way! They won by 13, it was a blowout,” scoffs Sally.

Another student raises his hand, “Two more touchdowns and the Dolphins would have won. The quarterback threw an interception that should’ve been a touchdown.”

“Well, what did the Dolphins need to do in order to tie the game? A few field goals?”

Heads pop up. Now I’ve got their attention.

I start by writing on the board all the ways to score in football, and how many points a team gets for each: 6 for a touchdown, 3 for a field goal, 2 for a safety, and 1 (extra point kick) or 2 (scoring on a run or pass) for a conversion after a touchdown.

Excited, the students start discussing how the game could have been tied by the Dolphins. After a bit of back and forth, they agree that a touchdown, an extra point and two field goals is the best solution to tie the game. (6 + 1 + 3 + 3 = 13 points.) Though a field goal and five safeties would have been cool to see. (3 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 = 13 points.)

If you have a child who struggles with math, one thing you can do is connect math to his everyday life and interests. That real-world connection can get your child excited and engaged in learning.

Football is one of my favorite ways to motivate kids because there’s literally a new, fun math problem on every play. If you watch a game with your child, you can use this to your advantage.

Ask questions about score changes, yards gained or lost, time remaining, and so on. You’re not solving problems on a worksheet. This is a chance to be the coach or the announcer and analyze the game, all while reinforcing math concepts.

Want to try it out? Here are a few of my favorite conversation starters to get the football math flowing:

Situation #1: The score is Giants 17, Dolphins 21. There’s only enough time for the Giants to run one more play. Should the Giants go for a touchdown or kick a field goal?

International Maths Challenge, or IMC, is a top-level competitive exam curated for primary and secondary school students from across the world. To participate in the international maths Olympiad, students must prepare rigidly and develop their in-depth understanding of each concept covered in the maths syllabus and IMC sample papers. 

To be eligible for this Olympiad, students must go through multiple math test preparations to get a complete command of all the mathematical units. In addition, they are also needed to stay informed about all the changes that happened to the Maths Olympiad syllabus and Maths Olympiad schedule of the examination.

Start Early

Early preparation for the Olympiad is important for aspirants who are sincere about passing this International Maths Olympiad exam. Students who begin early preparation get a longer time to resolve multiple questions which assists them in increasing their speed and success rate.

Get Expert Guidance

Your trainer plays an important role in helping and guiding you all over the maths preparation process and solving IMOC Test Practice Papers. Therefore, you must seek help from the best tutor available. Many online platforms provide extraordinarily qualified and trained trainers who deeply explain every concept and clarify all the problems of students and the International Maths Olympiad is one of them.

Know Your Syllabus

Before collecting study resources and guides for IMO preparation, you must look at the syllabus thoroughly. You can get help from your school tutors and family members who are preparing for the maths Olympiad to make sure you are not losing any topic. You can also get trusted sources online.

Track Your Progress

Solving IMO sample papers and attempting maths tests often are an immensely important part of preparing for the International Maths Olympiad. While maths Olympiad preparation, aspirants need to take notes of important concepts and formulas, which are effective for revision before appearing for the exam. Making note cards is another technique for doing quick revisions. These notes have small highlights related to a math topic which is important for remembering a learned concept. 

Mathematics is a subject where small blunders like decimals, brackets, usage of mathematical symbols, etc., transform the complete solution. Therefore, students must pay close attention and prevent making these mistakes to enhance their accuracy rate.

Take Out Time to Relax

Constant study without any interruptions can be unfavorable in sustaining your preparation for a long time. Therefore, maths Olympiad aspirants are advised to maintain taking small breaks during their preparation and studies. Short breaks are supportive to freshen up the mind, which enhances concentration ability. Along with taking a break from preparation, students also have to follow a healthy living lifestyle that incorporates following a proper diet, daily exercise, meditation, and getting hydrated.

Conclusion 

The IMOC is the most advanced and challenging competition in the world. Students need to begin early Olympiad preparation to accomplish all the syllabus concepts. However, students have to appear in this competition to gain experience instead of just focusing on achieving it. The experience acquired in the Olympiad assists them in keeping a positive attitude toward achieving all their success in life.

With mass shootings happening randomly every year in the United States, it may seem that there is no way to predict where the next horrific event is most likely to occur. In a new study published by the journal Risk Analysis, scientists at Iowa State University calculate the annual probability of a mass shooting in every state and at public places such as shopping malls and schools.

Their new method for quantifying the risk of a mass shooting in specific places could help security officials make informed decisions when planning for emergency events.

For their analysis, Iowa State associate professor Cameron MacKenzie and his doctoral student Xue Lei applied statistical methods and computer simulations to a database of mass shootings recorded from 1966 to 2020 by the Violence Project. The Violence Project defines a mass shooting as an incident with four or more victims killed by a firearm in a public place.

According to the Violence Project, the U.S. has experienced 173 public mass shootings from 1966 to 2020—with at least one mass shooting every year since 1966.

After they generated a probability distribution of annual mass shootings in the U.S., the scientists used two different models to simulate the annual number of mass shootings in each state. The results were used to calculate the expected number of mass shootings and the probability that at least one mass shooting would occur in each state in one year.

The Violence Project also provides the percentage of mass shootings in different types of locations. MacKenzie and Lei used that data to calculate the probability of a mass shooting in nine different types of public locations (including a restaurant, school, workplace, or house of worship) in the states of California and Iowa and also at the two largest high schools in each of those states.

Their findings include the following:

• The states with the greatest risk of a mass shooting are the most populous states: California, Texas, Florida, New York, and Pennsylvania. Together they account for almost 50% of all mass shootings.
• Some states, such as Iowa and Delaware, have never experienced a mass shooting.
• The annual risk of a mass shooting at the largest California high school is about 10 times greater than the risk at the largest Iowa high school.
• The number of mass shootings in the U.S. has increased by about one shooting every 10 years since the 1970s.

Importantly, MacKenzie points out that the probability of a mass shooting at a specific location depends on the definition of a mass shooting. In contrast to the Violence Project, the Gun Violence Archive defines a mass shooting as four or more individuals shot, injured or killed, in any location, not necessarily a public location. As a result, The Gun Violence Archive has collected data on shootings that occur in both public and private locations as well as targeted shootings (i.e., a gang shooting).

When the researchers applied data from The Gun Violence Archive to their models, the predicted number of annual mass shootings was nearly 100 times greater than the forecast based on The Violence Project’s data. The models predicted 639 mass shootings in 2022 with a 95% chance that the U.S. would experience between 567 and 722 mass shootings in that same year.

MacKenzie points out that “most media appear to use this broader definition of mass shootings.” Because of this, he urges that journalists explain how they are defining a mass shooting when reporting the statistical data.

With regard to the danger posed to children at school, MacKenzie explains, that “our results show that it is very, very unlikely that a specific student will attend a K-12 school and experience a mass shooting. But to parents of a child at a school that has experienced a mass shooting, explaining that the school was extremely unlucky provides no comfort.”

While it is important to take precautions, he adds that “we should not live in fear that our children will experience such a horrific event. Mass shootings are very low probability but very high consequence events.”

For more such insights, log into our website https://international-maths-challenge.com

Credit of the article given to Society for Risk Analysis

Young people in Germany are less proficient in mathematics, reading and science as compared to 2018. This is revealed in a PISA study. About one-third of the 15-year-olds tested achieved only a very low level of proficiency in at least one of the three subjects. The results confirmed a downward trend already in evidence in the preceding PISA studies. The mathematics and reading scores of German students are only at OECD average levels. They remain above that level only in natural sciences.

The PISA studies are regular assessments of the ability of 15-year-old students to solve problems in mathematics, reading and science in real-world contexts as they approach the end of compulsory schooling. The current study, coordinated by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and conducted in Germany by the Center for International Student Assessment (ZIB) at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), was carried out in the spring of 2022.

In many OECD countries the average scores in mathematics and reading skills were lower as compared to the previous PISA study in 2018. Scores were also down in natural sciences, although to a lesser extent.

In Germany the decrease in scores was larger than average in all three subjects. As a result, Germany is now significantly above the OECD average (492 vs. 485 points) only in natural sciences. In mathematics (475 vs. 472 points) and reading (480 vs. 476 points), the results now match the OECD average, which has also fallen in both subjects.

After the first PISA study in 2000, Germany initially achieved improvements in its results and was able to maintain them at a high level. In the most recent PISA rounds, however, there were signs of a negative trend. The scores in mathematics and natural sciences are now below those of the PISA studies in the 2000s, when those subjects were assessed in detail for the first time (mathematics: PISA 2003; natural sciences: PISA 2006). The reading scores of the current study are around the same as in PISA 2000, when that subject was a focal point for the first time.

Only a few OECD countries were able to improve some of their results between 2018 and 2022, for example Japan in reading and Italy, Ireland and Latvia in science. In mathematics, students in Japan and Korea show the highest average performance. The top countries in reading are Ireland, Japan, Korea and Estonia. Japan, Korea, Estonia and Canada have the best results in natural sciences.

Focus of the eighth PISA study: Mathematics

In the eighth Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) study, the skills were assessed of a representative selection of approximately 6,100 15-year-old secondary school students attending around 260 schools of all types in Germany. Students also answered a questionnaire about learning conditions, attitudes and social background. School principals, teachers and parents answered questions on the lesson structure, classroom resources and the role of learning in the home. Approximately 690,000 students took part in the study worldwide. Every PISA cycle has a focus subject. This time it was mathematics.

The German part of the study was headed by the ZIB on behalf of the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs (KMK) and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. Partners in the ZIB, alongside TUM, are the Leibniz Institute for Research and Information in Education (DIPF) and the Leibniz Institute for Pedagogy of Natural Sciences and Mathematics (IPN).

More students at low proficiency levels

According to the test scores, the study classifies the students in six proficiency levels. Students whose skills do not exceed proficiency level 1 require additional support in order to meet the demands of vocational training or further schooling and participate fully in society.

About one-third of the 15-year-olds achieved only these very low proficiency levels in at least one of the three tested subjects. Around one in six have significant deficiencies in all three subjects. The percentages of these particularly low-performing students have increased significantly since 2018. They now stand at 30% in mathematics, 26% in reading and 23% in science.

At the other end of the scale are the highly proficient students. In mathematics and reading they now represent only 9% and 8% of the total, respectively, while in natural sciences their share of the total remained unchanged, at around 10%.

The pandemic factor

The students’ answers to the questionnaires point to possible reasons for the lower scores: First, the researchers believe that school closures during the COVID pandemic negatively affected the ability to learn skills. In Germany schools made less use of digital media than the OECD average and relied more on materials mailed to students. “By comparison with other countries, Germany was not well prepared for distance learning in terms of digital hardware—but then caught up,” says study head Prof. Doris Lewalter, an educational researcher at TUM and managing director of the ZIB. Fewer than half of the low-proficiency students made use of available remedial options.

However, the analysis of the international data shows no systematic link between the decreases in proficiency between 2018 and 2022 and the duration of school closures. Some countries with relatively few school closure days have significantly lower scores than in 2018 while others, with higher numbers of days lost, show only small decreases or even slightly higher scores.

Language difficulties as a factor

A second possible factor to explain the results in the study’s focal area of mathematics: in Germany there is still a strong link between students’ proficiency in mathematics and the socio-economic status of their families and their immigrant background. Today’s 15-year-olds who themselves have immigrated to Germany are significantly less proficient at mathematics than the same group in 2012, when this question was last investigated. German is spoken less often in the homes of these students than in those of comparable students in 2012.

“This conclusion is only a partial explanation of the overall results, however,” says Prof. Lewalter. “The mathematical scores of non-immigrant students are also lower than in 2012—and even more so than for German-born children of immigrant parents.”

The factor of interest and motivation

To explain the long-term negative trend, the researchers therefore also take the students’ responses to the questionnaire regarding motivation, attitudes and classroom conditions. Compared to 2012, the students showed less enjoyment and interest in mathematics. The subject was also causing them more anxiety. In addition, the 15-year-olds see fewer potential benefits from learning mathematics.

“The results also show that the students feel less supported by their mathematics teachers. But this support is a key prerequisite for good instruction. In addition, the students have only limited awareness of teachers’ efforts to make lessons relevant to real-world contexts. This makes it more difficult for them to recognize the importance of mathematics in their lives—which can in turn decrease their motivation for the subject,” says Prof. Lewalter.

‘A big push’

As key conclusions from the PISA results, the educational researchers recommend:

• A systematic diagnosis and development of linguistic and reading proficiency from pre-school to the secondary level. “German language skills are the foundation of success at school,” says Prof. Lewalter.
• Ongoing development of instruction and the inclusion of digital media. “The students’ living realities are constantly changing and, along with them, the baseline conditions for applying mathematics, reading and science skills,” says Prof. Lewalter.
• Needs-oriented resource allocation to better equip schools with large numbers of students from disadvantaged families and with immigrant backgrounds.

“After the first PISA study in 2000, Germany was able to significantly improve students’ skills with effective support programs,” says Prof. Lewalter. “With a big push, combining the efforts of policy makers, schools and society, we can do it again.”

For more such insights, log into our website https://international-maths-challenge.com

Credit of the article given to Technical University Munich