No matter how many years we spend teaching math, one thing never seems to add up: how can we help each student succeed, when each classroom represents dozens of different learning styles and abilities to master math skills?
Joel R., a middle school math teacher, puts it succinctly: “I have kids who are counting on their fingers and kids who can solve complex equations. And I only get one period to teach them both.”
Regardless of which side of the achievement spectrum they trend toward, each student deserves the chance to improve their math skills. After decades of teaching, we finally found the solution.
A single curriculum CAN cater to both ends of the achievement spectrum — and what’s more, it can challenge students of all skill levels toward greater mathematic success. Vimme Learning is an online math program built to teach students of all skill levels using a single curriculum. Here’s how it works.
All achievement levels, one curriculum
Too often, we math teachers are stuck using a curriculum that just doesn’t do the trick. Some students are able to breeze through class without any effort on their part, while others struggle to grasp rudimentary skills.
And too often, math teachers are left to fill in the gaps during our personal time. We’ve all spent evenings trying to make up for a curriculum’s shortcomings — digging up rigorous questions to push our high achievers even higher, and activities to help our low achievers understand those foundational concepts they’ll need to get by.
Our students’ success in math doesn’t have to come at the expense of our personal time. Read that again — it’s true! Using the same curriculum, assessments and quizzes, Vimme Learning offers a challenge to high and low performers alike.
“Vimme treats every level of kid on equal footing,” says Scott B., a 5-8th grade math teacher. “If a student is struggling, it fills in their gaps in basic math skills. And if they’re excelling, it challenges them to go even further in their math careers. It works for the entire range of performance in your classroom.”
- Mastery, not memorization — True understanding of math doesn’t come from rote memorization. It comes when you ask students to think deeper, and approach a skill from many different angles. Vimme leans heavily toward story problems that challenge students to apply their knowledge rather than recite memorized facts.
- Spiral review — As a curriculum based on the concept of spiral review, each week of Vimme builds upon weeks previous. Skills that are covered in the first week of class will continue to show up on homework assignments, quizzes and assessments all semester long, so those skills don’t fall through the cracks.
- Based on academic standards — For our students, the true measure of success is their performance on your state’s standardized test. Each Vimme lesson is built upon actual academic standards, so your students learn the exact skills they’ll be tested on at the end of the semester.
- Real-time grading — Vimme’s quizzes and assessments are automatically graded, so you and your students know exactly where they stand in real-time. You’ll see a color-coded dashboard that lets you see how each student performed on each question and academic standard, so you know exactly how to tailor your review days.
Math whizzes, gifted learners, high achievers. No matter what we call them, every classroom has students who are prepared to go far in their math education. The problem here is not that the standard math curriculum is ineffective at teaching these students the math skills they need to succeed — it’s that it isn’t robust enough to offer a real challenge.
Vimme’s rigorous curriculum is tailor-made for students with their eyes set on greater achievement. By shifting the priority from regurgitation of facts and formulas to true application, we challenge these high achievers to think more critically and further their understanding of mathematical concepts.
Middle school math teacher Joel R. again offers his insight: “I’m stunned at some of the stuff my middle school kids can do thanks to Vimme. Seeing what they’re capable of doing mathematically is a lot of fun.”
Lend a hand to your low achievers
Even at the beginning of the semester, it’s not hard to spot the students who struggle in math. The unfortunate truth is that some students pass math class by the skin of their teeth, and haven’t truly mastered any of the skills taught to them all year. It can be really frustrating for the student — and really disheartening for the teacher.
We’ve found that spiral review is the key to building confidence and fluency in math for struggling students. Since concepts reappear week after week, each student is given the opportunity to solidify the foundational skills they need to succeed. And what a joy it is to watch them overcome those hurdles.
Kyle D., a 6th grade math teacher, explains: “At some point, it just clicks with students. They couldn’t do a particular skill on Wednesday, but they can do it by Friday. And three weeks down the line, they can really apply it because Vimme keeps on hitting on those skills and reinforcing them.”
This semester, give your students the challenge they deserve. You can try a six-week trial of Vimme Learning, and we’re confident that your students will rise to the challenge. Start your six free weeks today.