Learn about education with Smartick! Through interviews with experts in the field, education advice for the youngest ones at home, and much more.
Sep21
If parents give children the opportunity and the autonomy to make mistakes and try again, it can help them manage frustration, build their self-confidence and teach them persistence in achieving their goals. Here are nine approaches for today’s parents: 9 Strategies for Helping Kids Deal with Frustration Send consistent messages to your children in what […]
Continue reading »Sep14
Parents loom large in the development of their children’s personalities. As the Pixar film Inside Out shows it, parents form the biggest “islands” (personality aspects) for their children. As the principle socialization agents for their children, parents have a large array of resources at their disposal to mold their children’s behavior. “Have you eaten […]
Continue reading »Sep07
Several scientifically-based studies, by Walter Mischel, Martin Seligman, Angela Duckworth, and others, confirm that cognitive ability (measured, for example, by IQ) is not a reliable indicator of success and achievement. How do we define success and achievement? We look at academic indicators (like grades and test scores) or social factors (a career, stable family life, […]
Continue reading »Aug30
A Texas teacher swearing off of homework for her students has gone viral and it seems to have incited more than the usual flurry of back-to-school discussions about whether homework helps or hinders kids. If you haven’t read the note from Brandy Young, a second-grade teacher working not far from Dallas-Fort Worth, she says that […]
Continue reading »Aug24
It was the 80’s and many of my friends either had a crush on Winnie Cooper from The Wonder Years or wanted to be Winnie Cooper. Today there’s a much wider variety of TV shows. TV is just better and certainly more plentiful than when we were kids. But our children will likely never know what […]
Continue reading »Aug17
If there is anything certain in the debate about why there aren’t enough women in engineering and general sciences, it is that girls see too few role models in these fields. That is not to say that the availability of STEM role models is an issue that only affects girls (soccer stars and celebrities spend […]
Continue reading »Aug10
Homework is a basic pillar of the education system. As unpopular as it might be with some kids, most parents and teachers defend homework, saying it reinforces classroom learning, helps create good work habits and discipline, and benefits concentration and memory. Homework is a child’s task and responsibility, however, parents also play a role: that […]
Continue reading »Aug05
At Smartick, we want our students to learn as well as be motived to keep on learning math. We’ve already talked to you about gamification in other entries and about the changes that were introduced in order to motivate children. The North American psychologist, A. Maslow, believes that motivation is an impulse that humans have […]
Continue reading »Jul29
Jeremy Irons, at the age of 67, has fallen in love with math thanks to his latest role as the brilliant Cambridge mathematician G. H. Hardy in the recently released film “The Man Who Knew Infinity.” In interviews, Irons has spoken about the seemingly paradoxical connection between emotion and pure thought, and abstract thought and […]
Continue reading »Jul18
American high school mathletes have done it again! This is the second year in a row that the USA Team claimed the championship title at the International Mathematical Olympiad. The most prestigious problem-solving competition in the world, the 57th IMO was held July 6-16, 2016 in Hong Kong. Last summer was the first time since […]
Continue reading »Jun27
There are times when life rewards you, and it’s in those moments that you’re assured that all that your effort has been worthwhile. At Smartick, it happens often. When happy parents write to us because their children are no longer intimidated by math, for example. Another example is the day we publicized our agreement with […]
Continue reading »Jun13
Parents often ask what are the main differences between Smartick and other more traditional, paper-based methods (such as Kumon). The differences are substantial, both in the methodology, learning effectiveness and results. 1. Types of exercises Smartick does not come with preloaded exercises, nor worksheets with a fixed, preset sequence of exercises that are the same […]
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