Thank you for visiting our web site. As parents we are well aware of the frustrations that can arise when our kids have trouble solving a math problem. Getting feedback (formative assessment) immediately while engaged in the process helps students develop deeper more meaningful connections to the concepts being applied. It also proves useful in clarifying any misunderstanding that the student might have about the concept and in recognizing those little mistakes that we all make that can totally mess up solving a problem.

There are many programs out these that help students learn math concepts and provide opportunities to solve problems. All of them show students how to solve problems. The problem with this approach is that there is a disconnect between the student solving the problem and receiving feedback. Oftentimes, the student will either read the material or watch the video and then try to solve the problem. When they get it right, they move on. If they incorrectly solve the problem, one of two things usually happens: 1.) they are given the opportunity to see the correct way of solving the problem or 2.) they are told to re-read or re-watch the instructional material. In the former, the problem is solved for them; this is not a good way of developing a deeper understanding. In the latter, the need to go back and either re-read or re-watch the entire instructional lesson or figure which part of the lesson corresponds to where they made the mistake - a time consuming process.

Our approach is different. At AppleSTEM we employ a "mirror problem-solving" approach where the student and the computer solve similar problems at the same time. If the student gets the problem wrong, he or she can immediately see at which step the solution paths diverged. Because the computer and the student are solving different, but conceptually identical, problems, the student must transfer what the computer did in its problem to his or her own problem. This is a type of integration and strengthens learning.