“I believe we will see math scores begin to rise by 2026,” says Travis Ratnam Knowledgehook CEO
SCARBOROUGH, ON, May 7, 2024 /PRNewswire/ – Knowledgehook CEO Travis Ratnam, visited an elementary school in his hometown of Scarborough this Monday to kick off his North American “Mathalon Tour” aimed at reversing the downward trend in math scores.
Over 100 weeks, his tour will reach 100 schools to empower teachers to inspire math confidence in their students. “We now have the tools to support every teacher, and we will begin to see a turnaround in student math scores by the end of the tour,” Ratnam shared with optimism.
Year after year, elementary math scores have been trending down across Canada and the United States. This alarming statistic has become a reality due to many factors including hard-to-access professional training for teachers and dwindling student interest in math. The trend must be reversed and there has to be a better way forward for our education system.
The company is working with over 60 districts in the province and several others across the country and is one of the few education technology companies with a publicly stated mission dedicated to turning around math scores. Knowledgehook appreciates the relentless efforts of government partners in both provinces and states, enhancing investments in educational technologies that facilitate learning. “This collaboration is crucial for the systemic changes we aim to achieve through our tour,” Ratnam noted.
According to Ratnam, education technology has matured to the point that Knowledgehook can now solve the two key issues that are crucial to turning around math scores: delivering personalized teacher professional learning and motivating students to take ownership of their learning.
Last year, Knowledgehook’s software delivered over 10,000 professional learning sessions to teachers, with over 50% of these sessions completed after school hours. Each session assesses students’ needs and will give teachers access to targeted same-day professional learning support based on those needs.
Another positive consequence is that students are regularly asking for more ‘Knowledgehook’, as school districts are working to put the math software into classrooms. “Kids are asking for more math activities after they experience Knowledgehook!” says Mark Breadner. Breadner was a very early supporter of Knowledgehook and a former TDSB teacher who later went on to start FIRST Robotics Canada, the leading K-12 robotics competition nationwide.
Ratnam is hopeful that solving these two problems will pioneer a shift in math scores across Canada and the United States. “We’re going to visit 100 schools, one every week, and by the end of this tour, we’ll show that everyone, both teachers and students, can overcome their fear of math. We believe we can change the trajectory of math scores, through our rapidly evolving solution,” announced Ratnam.
Knowledgehook aims to put fun math activities in the hands of kids not only across North and South America, but eventually across the globe. Ratnam has high hopes that moving math scores by a few percentage points, on average, across our education systems, can increase GDP output.
“I believe that one day, they’ll say that the global turnaround in math scores started right here in small suburban Scarborough, one teacher, one student at a time. Any child can learn math, even the most unlikely students. By the end of this tour, we hope to have demonstrated that even kindergarten students from any neighbourhood can learn math concepts as complex as fractions”, says Ratnam.
Knowledgehook’s “Mathalon Tour”, led by Ratnam, will start on the first day of school this September 2024, running for two years, or until math scores across the continent start to rise, however, Ratnam is optimistic that the rise will start to take place before the tour is completed.
Additional Resources
Knowledgehook Home Page: www.knowledgehook.com
Knowledgehook’s Founding Story: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/travis-ratnam-12645412_exciting-reveal-in-24-hours-in-one-day-activity-7112030310418026496-_r7e?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop
Cohen, Patricia. “Closing Education Gap Will Lift Economy, a Study Finds.” New York Times. 2015-02-02. https://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/03/business/economy/closing-education-gap-will-lift-economy-study-finds.html
Research
- Wiliam, D. (2011). “Embedded Formative Assessment.” Solution Tree Press.
Summary:
Dylan Wiliam’s book details the strategies of embedding formative assessments in everyday teaching practices. It underscores that continuous, formative assessments tailored to the learning progress of students can dramatically enhance mathematical understanding and achievement by providing timely feedback and adjustments to teaching strategies.
- Timperley, H. (2007). “How Does Professional Learning Change Teachers’ and Principals’ Work?” Journal of Curriculum Studies, 39(5), 479-508.
Summary:
In this study, Timperley explores the transformation in teaching practices following targeted professional development. The findings suggest that when teachers receive professional learning tailored to their instructional needs, it not only changes their teaching practices but also significantly boosts students’ learning outcomes in math.
SOURCE Knowledgehook Inc
