California Elementary School Launches Math Lab

• By Tim Sohn
• 12/18/12

California's Robert Gisler Elementary School has opened a math lab intended to help increase interest in science, technology, engineering, and math.

More than 500 students at Robert Gisler, part of Fountain Valley School District, will be able to use Mind Research Institute's self-paced Spatial Temporal Math education program in the Hyundai ST Math Lab.

Mind Research Institute's Spatial Temporal Math program features a penguin named JiJi that faces obstacles in visual puzzles. Problems begin at an easy level and increase in difficulty as students proceed through the program. Students are first presented with solely-visual problems. As problems increase in difficulty, numbers and language are added. The program is aligned with Common Core standards and can be integrated with core curriculum.

Features of the program include:

• Embedded assessments;
• Reporting of student learning patterns;
• Whiteboard integration; and
• Teacher-guided instruction for the classroom.

In addition, students and teachers can use the math program on computers and mobile devices.

Topics covered are:

• Kindergarten: sorting & classifying, numbers to 30, geometry, money, measurement, addition, and subtraction;
• First grade: numbers to 30, addition, subtraction, place value, time, geometry, patterns and shapes, measurement, and money fractions;
• Second grade: dddition, subtraction, place value, money, time & elapsed time, geometry, measurement, fractions, multiplication, and division;
• Third grade: estimation & rounding, place value, money, time & elapsed time, multiplication, division, data & graphing, geometry, fractions, and sdvanced arithmetic;
• Fourth grade: estimation & rounding, algebraic expressions, data & graphing, multiplication, decimals, division, factorization, fractions, geometry, and negative numbers; and
• Fifth grade: algebraic expressions, data & graphing, factorization, fractions, ratios, percentages, functions, geometry, decimals, and negative numbers.

Funding for the math lab was provided in part by Hyundai Motor America.

"We are thrilled and very appreciative of the continued support the Fountain Valley School District receives from Hyundai Motor America," said Marc Ecker, superintendent of the Fountain Valley School District. "Their contributions to our ST Math program have provided additional resources for our students, enabling them to meet the rigorous California State Standards in mathematics."

Gisler is the second school in the Fountain Valley district to be granted the Mind Research Institute math program from Hyundai,, and the fourth school system in Southern California. In total, the ST Math program has been deployed to 2,000-plus students in the state.

Fountain Valley School District enrolls 6,300 students from the Fountain Valley and Huntington Beach areas of California. It comprises seven elementary schools and three middle schools.

For more information about ST Math, visit mindresearch.net. Go to fvsd.k12.ca.us to learn more about the Fountain Valley School Disrict.