OUR METHODOLOGY · SHAPED BY LEARNING SCIENCE
Good teaching is more than a good explanation.
Learning doesn’t happen simply because someone explains something clearly. What a student learns and what they’re able to do with that learning later, depends on how the learning experience is designed. That’s why we think about more than just what we’re teaching. We think about how the learning is experienced by your teen.
Our methodology brings together established principles from learning science with years of real-world teaching experience, all with the same goal: helping each student become a more confident, capable and independent learner.
The 6 Questions That Guide our Teaching
01
What does the student already know?
PRIOR KNOWLEDGE
New learning builds on what a student already knows. That’s why we consider the prior knowledge your teen is bringing to a new concept, make sure the necessary foundations are in place, and then introduce new ideas gradually in connection with what they already understand.
02
How are the ideas being connected?
KNOWLEDGE ORGANIZATION
Understanding is more than knowing a collection of rules and procedures. That’s why we intentionally present new information in a way that aligns with how we want students to be able to use it. In this way, students can connect ideas and recognize patterns that make their learning more robust and flexible.
03
How much support do they need right now?
COGNITIVE LOAD & SCAFFOLDING
Our brains can only think about so much at once. That’s why we’re intentional about where we want your teen to focus their thinking and provide support for the parts of a task that might otherwise get in the way. As their understanding develops, we gradually remove those supports, allowing them to take on more of the thinking for themselves.
04
What will help this student stay engaged?
COnfidence & MOtivation
Learning happens best when there’s a balance between support and challenge. Too little challenge and students can lose interest; too much and they can become overwhelmed. That’s why we’re intentional about the problems we give them, creating enough opportunity for success to build confidence while providing enough challenge to keep them thinking, engaged, and motivated to continue.
05
What does this student need to practice?
SpACED Practice & Feedback
Learning something once isn’t enough. It’s repeated practice and calibration, spaced over increasingly longer periods of time, that help make learning stick. That’s why we consistently bring back skills and ideas we’ve previously covered and provide feedback that helps students strengthen and refine their understanding over time.
06
When are they thinking about their thinking?
METACOGNITION
Building independent learners means helping students better understand their own thinking. What do they already understand? Where are they stuck? When do they need to ask for help? That’s why we build in moments for reflection and consistently model the thinking process, so that over time students naturally begin to ask these questions for themselves.
See Our Methodology in Action
Thoughtful teaching. More capable learners.
The goal isn’t just to make math feel easy. It’s to give students the right learning experiences, support, and challenge to become increasingly capable of figuring things out for themselves.
Ready to find the right support for your teen?