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What does it mean to be a successful science or math teacher? The definition of success is an elusive thing and measured in many ways. Merriam-Webster dictionary defines success as - resulting in or gaining a favorable outcome. This, without a doubt, is your and every other teacher's goal for their students.

From the abstract: "The problem addressed by this study is the need to identify practical predictors of success for community college developmental mathematics students in online, hybrid and seated course delivery formats. This study examined two possible predictors of success, mathematics self-efficacy and technology self-efficacy, in the three delivery formats and how they related to performance on a final assessment. The study used a quantitative research design employing binomial logistic regression to determine if the independent variables (math self-efficacy and technology self-efficacy) were significant in predicting the outcome category (score on the final assessment dichotomized about the mean). Next linear regression analysis was used to build a predictor equation for a particular score on the outcome variable. A previously developed survey and an adapted version of another survey were combined to measure the independent variables; demographic factors were also measured for descriptive purposes. Binomial logistic regression analysis showed that math self-efficacy was a valid predictor of success for the developmental math students in this study but technology self-efficacy was not. Regression analysis produced a valid equation to predict standard score from average math selfefficacy score. When separated into groups according to course format, math self-efficacy was only a valid predictor for students in hybrid courses. The implications of these results are discussed and recommendations are made for further research."

Your child is an excellent student. But, you have noticed that math is becoming quite a challenge. Why wait until grades start dropping or your youngster gets totally frustrated before getting help with math homework? As a caring parent, it is up to you to be proactive, especially when it is related to your child's education; because help with math homework today equals success for tomorrow.

"overview of the landscape of K-12 STEM education by considering different school models, highlighting research on effective STEM education practices, and identifying some conditions that promote and limit school- and student-level success in STEM. It can serve as a guide for those involved in K-12 education at all levels: policy makers; decision makers at the school and district levels; local, state, and federal government agencies; curriculum developers; educators; and parent and education advocacy groups." Findings, according to a Science magazine news story indicate that STEM teaching matters more than specialized STEM schools. Report does indicate steps to improve STEM education, involving investments in resources and teacher training, see :http://bit.ly/kRPyH3

Originally posted in 2010 and reconsidered from the perspective of recent international study on science aptitude of boys and girls, makes the point that, minus exceptional aptitude, girls and boys have equal potential and demonstrate equivalent success in math

Video featuring Abby Brown, Math Teacher, Torrey Pines High School : ""Mathematica has changed how I think about teaching and how my students learn mathematics. The conversations in our classes focus so much more on concepts and ideas and understanding the mathematics rather than how do I solve the problem."

Abstract: "How can smartphones apps enrich the learning of mathematics in vocational education? This article examines how mathematics teaching can be enriched by apps using smartphone sensors such as gyroscope, compass, camera, and touch screen in a gaming context. An iterative and participatory design process involving two classes of carpentry students from different vocational colleges resulted in two highly successful and course-relevant games based on trigonometry. Each game consists of quests and missions whose successful completion unlocks more theoretical multiple-choice exercises for the classroom. The combination of competition to unlock exercises, competition for placing on the high-score list, and physical activity proved very motivating for the students and was also approved by their teachers. In this article we describe our design principles, the overall game architecture and the games themselves. We talk about our experience in implementing our design process and subsequently summarize the pros and cons of the application and the smartphone platform and how the app developed contributes to vocational mathematics teaching"

"All the time you hear what is the use of learning math? Auto racing is full of math applications and concepts. For a race team to be successful they must understand math. "

Teaching math to elementary students is critical for establishing a foundation of success in mathematics. There is a need for some basic memorization of facts, because students who do not memorize arithmetic functions struggle in upper grades. However, math must be fun and interesting, along with making connections with real-world applications.

Does your child need help with math homework,? He/she is a great student, and really wants to learn, but often material presented is confusing, especially when it comes to learning math. A different teaching style, and help with math homework, would certainly put your child back on the road to academic success again. You simply need someone who is trained to compliment your child's learning style and help him/her work through the concepts.

Like everything dealing with education technology in the classroom there are always tricks and tips to ensure success - this includes Podcasting!

"Street-Fighting Mathematics: The Art of Educated Guessing and Opportunistic Problem Solving" by Sanjoy Mahajan, published in 2010. "Mahajan describes six tools: dimensional analysis, easy cases, lumping, picture proofs, successive approximation, and reasoning by analogy. Illustrating each tool with numerous examples, he carefully separates the tool-the general principle-from the particular application so that the reader can most easily grasp the tool itself to use on problems of particular interest." Available as a free download (Creative Commons License), .pdf): http://mitpress.mit.edu/books/full_pdfs/Street-Fighting_Mathematics.pdf

Math activities proven successful with learning disabled students are presented, along with a description of factors that influence struggling special needs students.

Play these online or on the Wii

The website says: "THE Place For Educational Games!Our research-based and standards-aligned free educational math games and language arts games will engage, motivate, and help teach students. Click a button below to play our free multi-player and single-player games! In the future we'll add features enabling you to save records, tailor content for differentiated instruction, and pinpoint student problem areas." I think using the games in conjunction with a holistic approach to developing skills would make for a great way of getting students to practices some skills. Let students play, set goals, monitor those goals, reflect on their progress, and apply strategies/heuristics to specific problems they struggle with would create an environment in the classroom where learning was fun, self-monitored, and successful. 

Press release announcing new math learning product, accessible in the Apps store, and successful funding initiative

Description of student learning success with ST Math, stripping verbalization from math teaching and working with visualization and images