Barbara Oakley, world-renowned education guru, knows how to study and learn in the most effective way. Her experience began with studying Russian, and later, with becoming an engineer after being a girl who hated math, science, and technology. But, in her twenties, she decided to learn math and she did so by replicating how she learned Russian: with practice, small units of knowledge, and short periods of total concentration combined with breaks of relaxation. Understanding how she accomplished this made her study about learning and the neural system and, from this point, to co-direct the most successful course in the history of the internet: Learning How to Learn, which has been completed on Coursera by one million people all over the world.
When you are in such direct contact with that amount of students, it is normal that they explain to you how their learning was or what else they would like to read or learn. This is how Barbara Oakley had the idea to write an easy and entertaining book, that adolescents and their parents could read to learn and establish more effective learning routines. After months of waiting, this week the book has finally seen the light of publication and it is now available on Amazon.
We will write more about it later, but for now, we want to express what an honor it is for Smartick that Barbara Oakley acknowledges us alongside methods like Kumon when speaking about complementary math programs for kids. We build a solid foundation for the later stages, after age 14, with 15-minute sessions of complete concentration. We can improve daily with immediate data analysis and adapting to each child thanks to the use of artificial intelligence. Furthermore, we love being on a shortlist of online resources, in the company of giants like Khan Academy who, in addition, offer their product for free. That’s not our case. Smartick—in order to provide the experience of 15 minutes of concentration, adapted to the math level of each child—requires a very qualified team that continues researching and improving every day.
“Smartick. This program provides a solid foundation in mathematics built on sound practice. If you are struggling with mathematics, this is a great resource. If you are doing well in math, this resource will help you do even better”
We at Smartick promise to work in line with the expectations someone like Barbara Oakley has put on us because she is our example due to her desire to help, curiosity and passion to learn.
So, if you want to start the school year knowing which are the best strategies for your kids to study, read Barbara Oakley’s latest book with them and listen to her interviews. Yesterday, she published an excellent article in the New York Times.
Learn More:
- Barbara Oakley at the Smartick Headquarters
- “We’ve Found a Modern Day, Much-Improved Version of the Kumon Math Program Used with My Girls”
- The Pomodoro Technique and Mathematics
- Dear Jo Boaler, Engineers like Barbara Oakley Have Knowledge on Learning Too
- Want to Learn from a Leading Education Expert?
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