Teachers’ FAQ: Is BrainQuake aligned to the Common Core State Standards?
From time to time, I use this blog to provide answers to various questions we get from math teachers.
BrainQuake’s math learning puzzles are aligned with the CCSS at the level of the Mathematical Practices, developing (and assessing) general mathematical thinking and creative (multi-step) problem solving ability that can be applied in any area of mathematics. Moreover, the puzzles do not require familiarity with mathematical formalisms, and as a result are, we believe, one of a very small number of products that operate primarily at the MP level (general mathematical thinking skills and creative problem solving), allowing a top-down pedagogy that complements the more common bottom-up approach where MP mastery hopefully (???) emerges as the end product of a lot of learning. See the illustration below.
Of course, since the puzzles are built on particular concepts (integer arithmetic, linear algebra and algebraic thinking for the Gears puzzle, proportional reasoning and fractions for the Tanks puzzle, and functions and linear growth for the Tiles puzzle), they all develop number sense, and they all connect to many CCSS topic items across a wide range of grades, for which we provide detailed mappings. But all CCSS-aligned math learning products do that. Ours do much, much more.
The puzzles are able to produce learning gains at the top-level mathematical-thinking by Breaking the Symbol Barrier. Our puzzles look like “basic skills” devices (and indeed can be used as such) but their design (we currently have seven patents) hides a considerable complexity, as indicated by the Gears puzzle example I gave in my last post.
As I noted last time, solving one of our puzzles requires making the same steps you would need to make on a sheet of paper if you were using the standard formalism.
The puzzles are built on top of the mathematical constructs, and all but the most simple ones allow for millions and indeed billions of solution paths, which eliminates the familiar worry about math learning games that a student solves the puzzle without actually solving the mathematics problem.
Because students solve the puzzles by fine-grained physical actions, the games gather fine-grained information about the student’s attempts to solve the problem, which means we can provide real-time, formative feedback (to both students and teachers). So real-time assessment is built in, making our product a learning AND assessment tool.
