Smartick, the funniest way to learn math
15 minutes of math a day with the computer or the Tablet, and tYour children will not only improve their mathematics, but they will most likely end up loving them. That's what Smartick proposes, a new and fun way to learn math that is triumphing in Spain and, in fact, already applied in several schools for a couple of years.
Tired of observing how the children of Spain suspended in the PISA tests of mathematics, the creators of this platform, Javier Arroyo and Daniel González de Vega, decided to get down to work to find a solution through a new educational technology, and the data endorse: they assure that 94 percent of children who use Smartick on a daily basis improves their calculation capacity.
What is Smartick?
Smartick is an online platform aimed at children between 4 and 14 years old so that they improve in mathematics. Its main uniqueness is that it adapts to each child in such a way that, as your child does the exercises one day, so will be those of the next day. This makes the child "work at his maximum level of competence", that is, the one in which he is safe but, in turn, he asks him to evolve and incorporate new concepts.
Thus, Smartick it is not intended only for children who are costing the mathematics: it can be used by those who do well (to improve and keep moving at their own pace), as well as those who have more difficulties, since it is totally adapted to individual evolution of each user.
The exercises that make up this platform are very varied (calculation, logic, geometry, etc.) and they adapt, in addition to the evolution of each child, at their age. Berta G. de Vega, responsible for communication of Smartick, explains that, for example, at four years, as they still do not know how to read, problems arise with audio. And the most important: the child immediately knows his faults and how is the correct answer, which gives you the opportunity to learn and correct, always from the positive reinforcement.
In fact, if the child or parents have unsolved questions, the company has a team pedagogical and attention that is committed to resolve any doubts that arise within 24 hours.
Motivation for mathematics
Not only is the application adapted to the level of each child to offer confidence while advancing, but it has created an extra motivation: the ticks. As the child gets better in the exercises, he receives 'ticks' with which he can then buy objects to decorate a kind of 'virtual world' which you access right after the exercises.
In this virtual world, children decorate their rooms with the ticks received during the exercises, practice games to improve your cognitive skills (memory, attention, reasoning and perception) and, in addition, can be motivated with other children in the so-called 'social club', where they invite other colleagues who do Smartick and they see who are the best of the week, for example.
Smartick and parents
Even though children just need to put on 15 minutes every day in front of the computer or tablet to practice mathematicsWith this method and do not need the help of parents (the same program is designed by mathematicians, educators and developers to help you when you "stuck" in an exercise), parents or guardians of children are fully taken into account.
So, if your child practices Smartick, every time you do the exercises you will receive an email in which you can see how the day has gone, how long you have been connected and how your child's results have been. Also, the website has a specific access so that parents can see the evolution of children and compare it with that of other children.
Precisely the parents of the 'Smartick children'they are totally satisfied with the method on their website: from a father of a girl with ADHD who thanks the company because her daughter has learned mathematics to a mother who talks about the habit and the trust that this application has generated in their children.
Smartick, in class and at home
The majority of the users of this platform are, according to De Vega, individual parents who have decided to bet on this method so that their children improve in mathematics. However, Smartick is also in some schools.
Several public schools of the Madrid's community, one concerted and one of the Valencian Community They have already included this application in the math curriculums and students every day practice 15 minutes with this application. Thanks to this, it has been proven, in fact, that the method works and it allows those who do well in mathematics to improve and those who need reinforcement to obtain it.
In addition, the company has reached agreements with some schools Ampas (in Malaga, for example) to offer the subscription at a price below normal, ranging from 20 to 40 euros per month. There is also the option of Try Smartick for 15 days for free. Just a reminder: your child should practice the exercises daily; then, the result, they say, is guaranteed.
Angela R. Bonachera
