Tell us about your company and the problem it solves, or its benefit to learners or educators.
Spirit of Math is an after-school program for highly motivated students in mathematics. We have full-year classes for students who are looking for more than their regular school can offer. Many high-performing students are bored in school and are looking for others who also love to learn and want a greater challenge. In addition, many parents are disillusioned with mathematics education and are looking for a deeper program that will allow their child to love mathematics while gaining strong math skills and logical thinking. We address the needs of high-performing students and take them from the top of their classes to the top of the world with a program that has been doing this for over 30 years. Because of our longevity, parents also look at our program as the standard for mathematics education and enrol their child so that they have the ability to compete in a globally competitive university market.
What is the challenge educators face today that is fixable?
A challenge educators face today that is fixable is the massive range of skills and abilities that students have in one classroom. This can be fixed through proper assessments, proper allocation of resources, and streaming, so that students can be set up for success according to their own needs and can succeed with the strengths and weaknesses that they present. Streaming will provide more focused programs and the ability to focus more closely on indicators of success for specific student capabilities and outcomes.
What is the challenge educators face today that will persist?
The greatest challenge is that society sees teaching as a skill that anyone can do, and therefore the respect teachers get is too low and the expectations placed on them in the classroom are too high. While society expects teachers to work with children and give their students the foundation and skills to be strong adults, we don’t set the teachers up for success. Instead, we place them in classrooms with many children who have a multitude of needs and expect our teachers to solve all the problems kids bring with them. We aren’t putting the odds in the teachers’ or students’ favour.
What are the areas of education or training and workforce development that are being overlooked?
Mathematics education has constantly been looked at, but no one seems to be doing what is needed so that people can be successful in their workplace. Mathematical thinking (not just doing the math) will help people in all areas of their lives. Businesses today are lamenting the lack of basic logic that people used to have. In addition, the automaticity and fluency of number facts have disappeared and need to be brought back for quick calculations without a calculator, so that little mistakes don’t keep happening and people can be more productive. These skills will help all people in their workplace and propel their skills in other areas.
What do you foresee will be a challenge in education in three to five years?
The greatest challenge in five years will be that non-traditional education will challenge traditional education systems far more than we see now, and the paradigm that a government can control education will be gone. Supplemental education will become the norm in North America, and parents will be looking for external validation of student success. This could include international contests, external assessments, AI applications, and more.