YouCubed

                            © YouCubed

YouCubed is a non-profit organization that offers free online mathematic resource for K-12 students and their teachers and parents. Jo Boaler, math specialist and leader of this site wants everyone to know of the "mathematical revolution." Through the use of this site, teachers will be able to reinsure that their students are engaged in fun, inquiry based learning in mathematics with the use of various lesson plans, games, and up-to-date research articles and news.

I did not know about this website until recently. I perused the site, read-up on recent studies, games, lesson plans for the teachers, and resources for the parents. I like the idea that students should be learning about real world mathematics in a fun way. As we have learned, deep learning happens when children are interested in what they do.

I would like to comment and reflect on what I have read in some articles that I found interesting and surprising. Firstly, in Twelve Steps to Increase Your Child's Math Achievement and Make Math Fun we learn that we should not call a child "smart." Wow, I have never thought about this previously. "You're smart!" is usually spoken as a positive comment. However, after reading this article, it can actually dampen a child's spirit if they happen to fail. Be reassuring that everyone makes mistakes and that we learn from these times. Also, we have reflected on our "worst" moments in math, but it should not be discussed with your students. In Unlocking Children's Math Potential: 5 Research Results to Transform Math Learning I read that we should not make the children work faster during mathematics because it causes anxiety. Almost everyone can remember this aspect of their schooling experience, including myself. As a future teacher, I will incorporate this practice into my classroom to make sure that math is not a hurry-up-and-get-the-answer type of subject, as what I had experienced.

The most important aspect of this site is the parents ability to access new materials that they could use at home with their children. What they learned years before (or happened to forget) could be completely different than how their children approach solving a problem or learning a new concept. As the mathematics teacher, you should also review this site with the parents and students to ensure that they understand how to use the site.

Overall, I think that this site is well organized and is easily accessible to teachers, students, and parents. Learning should be authentic, meaningful, and motivating. It is our job to unlock our students' mathematical potential  Hopefully more people will learn about this site (not yet fully operational) and join YouCubed's mathematical revolution to ensure all students are achieving to their fullest potential. I signed up to join the revolution so that I will be updated on the resources and content that is added to the site. YOU should too.