MINDsprinting Method
The overall objective of Mindsprinting is clearly to maximize the
student’s potential in respect to mathematical performance and reading
comprehension. Mindsprinting has succeeded to a remarkable degree. The
program has been well designed to benefit a wide range of students - from those
seeking enrichment to those requiring remedial assistance. And the ability to
do lessons in the privacy of one’s own home, makes it ideally suited for busy
adults looking to improve their skills. In sum Mindsprinting is
proven, engaging, convenient and affordable.
MINDsprinting is the only online supplemental education program
available in math and reading comprehension that I would recommend to both
parents and educators. Mindsprinting promotes comprehension rather
than passive memorization. Practice and review, not simply repetition, are
required for progression, and the student is given ample opportunity to
practice and review, and thus understand and integrate, in order to advance.
Memorization will not suffice. This is a crucial difference between Mindsprinting
and apparently similar programs - and why Mindsprinting is so
beneficial.
Peter J. Gamlin Ph.D., C.Psych, Professor Emeritus and senior researcher,
Department of Adult Education, Community Development and Counselling
Psychology, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto
Educationally Sound
Through the use of multiple methods to explain computational procedures, worked
examples, and hierarchically structured lessons, the Mindsprinting math
curriculum brings highly effective pedagogy to computer-based learning.
Dr. Anna T. Cianciolo, Senior Research Scientist at Global Information
Systems Technology, Inc. and a former postdoctoral associate in the PACE Center
at Yale University
I find the MINDsprinting program to be very clear, concise,
attention-getting, and pedagogically-sound. The MINDsprinting materials follow
an increasingly difficult progression of items and levels to master, which is
ideal for students to learn at a pace that neither taxes nor bores. The
MINDsprinting materials, I think, hold promise for a new age in supplemental
education.
Dr. Michael Luther, Course Director, Psychology Department, York University
The Mindsprinting program is based on sound educational practices. First of
all, the program is based on individualized learning. The student is assessed
at a particular level and progresses at his/her own rate. Next, the objective
of a new skill is made explicit, so that the student has a mind-set of what
he/she is going to learn. This program provides clear, step-by-step examples,
in words and pictures in order to lead the student through solving problems in
a specific skill set. I am impressed with the task analysis evident in each
particular skill set where the learning of new concepts is organized
sequentially according to prerequisite, and requisite skills. Also, the
Mindsprinting program provides review practice of skill sets, which is
essential to consolidate the learning of concepts. Another essential feature of
the program is the immediate feedback to the student’s answers as seen on the
Progress Report and Transcript. Feedback is a critical tool for the student
and/or parent to assess the mastery of learning a particular skill set and
motivates the learner to proceed or review as necessary.
Lidia Komorowsky Special Education Resource Teacher For Toronto School
Board
In terms of the theoretical relevance of the program, I think that the most
recent and tried-and-true teaching and learning principles from research in
educational psychology are well reflected in the structure and arrangement of
the content of the MINDsprinting programs. In terms of the format of the
program, I think that the well specified MINDsprinting materials will support
students to learn at their own pace and master skills within their own ZPD
(zone of proximal development)(Vygotsky, 1986) using lessons tailored to their
skill level. This feature can be applied to help not only the children who have
learning difficulties but also those who are seeking enrichment to reach their
full potential.
Dr. Kwang-Hyun Koo, Professor Department of Early Childhood Education
College of Humanities, Anyang University, Korea
There are several features of the Mindsprinting program that recommend
themselves as excellent exemplars of instructional practice. At the outset
students are provided with an interactive Assessment Test that identifies their
mastery of skills, places them appropriately in the curriculum, and results in
a written analysis being sent to the enroller. And in math, it further tailors
the starting program to each student’s particular needs. Second, Mindsprinting
is a ‘directed’ program - it assigns lessons based upon student achievement –
which ensures constant monitoring of the student’s understanding. And third,
the kind and quantity of feedback available to the student is exemplary.
Consequently students will experience growing confidence and healthy
self-esteem—a sense that they are truly capable of understanding.
Peter J. Gamlin Ph.D., C.Psych, Professor Emeritus and senior researcher,
Department of Adult Education, Community Development and Counselling
Psychology, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto
Using the Internet
I am delighted that MINDsprinting has taken an educationally-sound teaching
technique, (which has proven itself internationally in terms of
paper-and-pencil sorts of tasks) and adapted it to 21st century educational
technology. This presents an exciting opportunity for improving the basic
academic skills of children who have access to computers.
Dr. Michael Luther, Course Director, Psychology Department, York University
The on-line accessibility and convenience will be a key feature to anyone who
wishes to improve numeracy and reading comprehension skills.
Sooky Crljen, 2-3 grade teacher
In addition, I think that the adoption of an online delivery system is a very
significant strength of the MINDsprinting program. Online learning content in
MINDsprinting can give children a chance to get out of their dependency on
teachers and the classroom setting.
Dr. Kwang-Hyun Koo, Professor Department of Early Childhood Education
College of Humanities, Anyang University, Korea
Parents
As an educator, I am confident that parents would find this program a valuable
tool in assisting the educational development of their child.
Lidia Komorowsky Special Education Resource Teacher For Toronto School
Board
It is widely recognized that parental involvement is a key determinant of a
child’s cognitive development. Often times, parents cannot get involved in the
remedial education of their children because they themselves have difficulty
with the material that their children are struggling to master. Through
accessible examples and ample practice material, the Mindsprinting math and
reading curricula provide a unique opportunity for parents and children to
learn together. The shared learning experience in turn fosters a relationship
between the child, the parent, and the learning process, which builds the
confidence and motivation necessary for success and lifelong learning. In
addition, the shared learning experience equips parents to be an advocate for
their children with teachers because they can track their children’s progress
and communicate that progress more effectively. In short, the Mindsprinting
math and reading curricula provide a unique opportunity to build the foundation
for cognitive/motivational structures that will last a lifetime.
Dr. Anna T. Cianciolo, Senior Research Scientist at Global Information
Systems Technology, Inc. and a former postdoctoral associate in the PACE Center
at Yale University
The program encourages parental involvement, a cornerstone of academic
progress. And for students and parents alike, it is a convenient,
self-motivating program built on a balanced approach of assessment with
instruction, step-by-step practice to achieve mastery of numeracy and literary
skills.
Elizabeth Cowling, Elementary Teacher (over 20 years experience in Special
Education and teaching students with learning disabilities)
[Mindsprinting] also gives parents a chance to easily and timely get involved
in their child’s learning and provide tutoring opportunities to afford their
child the chance to interact with others at a more advanced level of cognition.
Consequently, this feature of the MINDsprinting program can maximize not only
the effect of learning but also the motivation of children to learn.
Dr. Kwang-Hyun Koo, Professor Department of Early Childhood Education
College of Humanities, Anyang University, Korea
Wow, Mindsprinting is on top of it. I have been a member for less than a month,
and already I know I can count on prompt replies and sincere attention to my
success.
Thanks for the clarification.
Jean
I appreciate your program because it's easy to access, read, and work with.
Enrolling was easy and taking a placement test was definitely helpful. I like
how easy it is to access the site and print out the assignments. Having the
answer key right on line and not having to print is convenient. I like how
clearly readable everything is for my son, Tyler, and me. The incentive program
is awesome. My son is working towards the highest points, so to help him along
the way I instilled my own rewards at each 50 point mark. That way he still
gets his big reward in the end. I'm looking forward to that too. Most
importantly, I like the ability to move him ahead on my own incase he gets
bored and to move him back when we find it to be too hard. I love the printable
progress reports as well. Thank you for offering this program, especially at a
reasonable price.
Machelle Lietz
A Help to Schools
Mindsprinting allows students to work at their own pace and without the
pressures inherent in a classroom setting. As a result, when a student’s
teacher reviews his or her achievements (via reports that Mindsprinting
provides) a clear indication of that child’s current skill levels and potential
to learn is revealed. For example, in math, the lesson titles identify specific
skill sets and the lesson results (percent correct and time taken) reveal the
extent of mastery of those skill sets. Thus, a somewhat less obvious benefit
afforded by Mindsprinting is the opportunity for parents and teachers to
communicate on a regular basis, with detailed information, concerning the
student’s progress.
Peter J. Gamlin Ph.D., C.Psych, Professor Emeritus and senior researcher,
Department of Adult Education, Community Development and Counselling
Psychology, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto
Often parents ask me for materials and/or programs that I can recommend for
them to use at home with their children. The Mindsprinting program is a
comprehensive resource, well organized and easily accessible on the web that
parents can use to remediate, supplement, enhance their children’s skills in
math and reading comprehension.
Lidia Komorowsky Special Education Resource Teacher For Toronto School
Board
As an experienced educator, I recognize that it is difficult to meet the
breadth of students’ learning styles within the group instruction of the
classroom; we often cannot provide sufficient practice of subskills, the
essential tools for comprehension and knowledge acquisition. Schools cannot do
it alone. I would recommend Mindsprinting to parents because it is an enriched
classroom resource that promotes student understanding and self-confidence by
individualizing their learning. I would recommend it because it addresses the
needs for all students, both those struggling with basics and those needing
more academic challenges.
Elizabeth Cowling, Elementary Teacher (over 20 years experience in Special
Education and teaching students with learning disabilities)
MINDsprinting is affordable, convenient, and it provides what all children need
- a strong academic foundation. It also allows for the continuous tracking of
the student’s progress over time, which should be of great benefit to the
student’s teachers.
Dr. Michael Luther, Course Director, Psychology Department, York University
As a researcher in educational psychology and early childhood education and as
an experienced lecturer of pre/in-service teacher education programs from
Kindergarten to high school levels, I am certain that the MINDsprinting math
and reading comprehension programs have significant value as an after-school
and/or home-schooling program to help our children master the essential
knowledge and skills required for their academic achievement at school.
Learning materials presented in class are too easy for some children but they
are too difficult for other children. Consequently, too many students in our
schools feel bored and fall asleep in the classroom. They say that they have
absolutely nothing to do in class. Do we really want to leave most of our
children to play second fiddle? What we really need is to help our children
learn at their own pace with great enthusiasm to maximize their learning
potential. I have the conviction that this program will certainly give an
excellent opportunity to empower students to excel in learning and by doing so,
realize their ‘full potential in life’ as described in the Mission Statement
provided by MINDsprinting.
Dr. Kwang-Hyun Koo, Professor Department of Early Childhood Education
College of Humanities, Anyang University, Korea
Additional Benefits
The flexibility Mindsprinting gives to high school students is extremely
positive from a developmental standpoint. Older students can: (1) pick and
choose without restriction (i.e. no Unit tests) lessons that address high
school subjects they may be studying in school at that time (e.g. algebra,
geometry); (2) follow Mindsprinting’s “directed” path for those same subjects;
and (3) work through the tailored starting program that addresses un-mastered
skills identified by the Assessment Test (which follows a “directed” path and
requires passing Unit tests to advance). Thus, older students avoid needless
repetition and develop a sense of control and self-efficacy (which they crave
and need) even though Mindsprinting continues to provide them needed direction.
Peter J. Gamlin Ph.D., C.Psych, Professor Emeritus and senior researcher,
Department of Adult Education, Community Development and Counselling
Psychology, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto
The rewards and motivators built into the site spark greater commitment to
[students’] own learning and enhances their self-esteem. Working at their own
pace through the directed lessons, students see their progress, progress that
fosters self-confidence and reduces anxieties. Confidence transfers to the
classroom and promotes more focused attention on the demands of the school
curriculum. Mindsprinting would definitely benefit all my students working to
achieve those build-blocks of academic success. The site encourages students to
actively take responsibility for their own learning and encourages parents to
be involved with that process.
Elizabeth Cowling, Elementary Teacher (over 20 years experience in Special
Education and teaching students with learning disabilities)
MINDsprinting Math
For example, the math program in MINDsprinting includes plenty of practice
items for each work unit. Working on various items can easily reveal a child’s
weaknesses in learning and with practice the child can minimize errors and
accomplish mastery learning in the weak area. Consequently, the approach taken
in MINDsprinting will ensure optimal comprehension and retention of concepts as
well as skills, establishing the strongest possible foundation for more
advanced materials.
Dr. Kwang-Hyun Koo, Professor Department of Early Childhood Education
College of Humanities, Anyang University, Korea
As an educator who has observed many a learner who struggles
with basic computation skills, this highly accessible program allows for the
kind of drill and practice needed to master or ‘imprint’ number sense.
Sooky Crljen, 2-3 grade teacher
I see how Mindsprinting would benefit enhanced math and reading skills for all
my students. In the math segment, I like the program’s focus on the
foundational patterns and structures. The program groups related functions like
multiplication and division, and stresses overlearning of specific skills so
these functions are fully understood and become automatic. This frees up
students to more easily apply these “automatic” computational skills to solve
problems.
Elizabeth Cowling, Elementary Teacher (over 20 years experience in Special
Education and teaching students with leaning disabilities)
[Mindsprinting’s] required practice of basic math skills properly pursues
mastery.
Dr. Michael Luther, Course Director, Psychology Department, York University
The MINDsprinting program focuses on practice and mastery of numeracy skills in
a sequential format that gives instant feedback about results and achievement.
Sooky Crljen, 2-3 grade teacher
I have been searching for a way to encourage my sons to increase their math
skills without burning them out on school work. Mindsprinting is perfect! Each
of the lessons are "bite size" and simple. And your star rewards give them
goals and a chance for friendly competition. I even signed myself up as a
student to sharpen my skills. Now I don't feel intimidated when they ask for
help. Thank you again for your prompt, professional and friendly customer
service. Now I know how much you truly care about the kids and parents you are
helping. This is a valuable and very affordable program that I will gladly
recommend.
Phil Maddox Campton, KY
MINDsprinting Reading Comprehension
MINDsprinting is comprehensive because it provides an on-going assessment of
reading levels and achievements so that the results are measurable over the
course of using the program. Whether it is used for remedial support or
enrichment, the MINDsprinting program targets the individual at his or her
instructional level, which is critical for improving reading achievement.
Sooky Crljen, 2nd and 3rd grade teacher
I see how Mindsprinting would benefit enhanced math and reading skills for all
my students. In the reading component, Mindsprinting provides an integrated
developmental approach, continually challenging the student by combining
regular practice in word recognition and text comprehension. Reading competence
and effective text analysis are such important tools in the road to academic
success. The reading selections encourage rereading and reflection on the
material, so that by steadily working through the program, the student
internalizes the skills of successful readers.
Elizabeth Cowling, Elementary Teacher (over 20 years experience in Special
Education and teaching students with leaning disabilities)
The reading comprehension items are quite interesting and easy to decipher;
there is no attempt to fool the reader with unusual or ambiguous reading
comprehension questions.
Dr. Michael Luther, Course Director, Psychology Department, York University
MINDsprinting Reading Excellence
MINDsprinting’s Reading Excellence program is the only
online phonics/language instructional
package I would recommend to supplement any early reading program. Children,
grades K-3, receive the extra practice they need to master "word attack" skills
and quickly begin to read for comprehension. Instruction is organized into five levels of difficulty, and within each
one of these, some 60 lessons introduce children to a sequence of language
skills from the most basic (e.g. letter and sound recognition), to the more
difficult (e.g. rhyming and blending so as to enable a child to sound out and
decode unfamiliar words), and finally, early inferencing skills in which the
child practices sequencing details and reading between the lines to realize
total comprehension of stories. An
initial assessment quickly identifies the appropriate entrance level.
From this starting point, children move
through the subsequent levels at their own pace, allowing those both remedial
and gifted to use these materials effectively.
This excellent program achieves a number of related objectives including:
practice with vowel and consonant letter
combinations and sounds; practice printing of letters and words, as well as
writing short stories; learning about parts of speech such as nouns, pronouns,
and verbs; and learning about compound words, synonyms, antonyms, homonyms,
capital letters, and end marks (such as periods, question marks and exclamation
points).
This is truly a comprehensive program.
As with MINDsprinting’s other online programs, the child has access to
numerous exercises, and consequently many opportunities to achieve
mastery at all skill levels. And because this program is easily
accessible through the Internet, busy schedules are easily accommodated.
The program also permits the parent to "Fast Track" the child
through skills already mastered thereby preventing boredom and guaranteeing constant
challenge from new material. Consequently
children are encouraged to strive for excellence, and within them is awakened a
spirit of confidence and enthusiasm.
The child will realize his or her highest potential every step of the way.
Peter Gamlin Ph.D., C. Psych.
Registered Psychologist
Professor Emeritus
The Ontario Institute for Studies in Education
of the University of Toronto
MINDsprinting Website
Through Mindsprinting’s innovative “dashboard” feature, both students and
parents can maintain awareness of student learning, diagnose problem areas,
track achievement, and report progress to interested others. Empowered to
manage their own learning, students and their parents become their own
educators, able to shape their intellectual growth in ways that are not
constrained by the traditional school classroom. Allowed to learn at their own
pace, students become more confident in their capability and more motivated to
engage in the learning process. Infused into the classroom, this confidence and
motivation is a potent agent of change in other children’s attitudes towards
education.
Dr. Anna T. Cianciolo, Senior Research Scientist at Global Information
Systems Technology, Inc. and a former postdoctoral associate in the PACE Center
at Yale University
The instructions and graphics for each new section are simple to read and use.
The visual layout of the pages is well-organized and arranged. The background
information and instructions are easy to follow.
Sooky Crljen, 2-3 grade teacher
|