Anita M. Richards

The #SmashedMath Pilot Program was initially conceived and designed in 2016, and subsequently delivered two years prior to the onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Work on this program continued in the background until late-2018, at which time it was placed on hold.

The intention had always been to relaunch the program.

Today, we live in a very different world.

This document, is for historical reference purposes.

However, should anyone stumble across this document and be interested in collaborating to progress the work, please contact the office.

10 December, 2024

Our Facebook Page

#SmashedMath

The key aim of #SmashedMath is to help children succeed in mathematical learning through colourful fun and play, a new set of eyes and a whole bunch of methods that math geniuses routinely use in their heads! but are not taught in schools.

Interactive, colourful, noisy and fun
is the
aim of the game
with #SmashedMath

For 7-17 year olds

What is #SmashedMath?

#SmashedMath is a free, social learning group for young people. Anyone aged between seven to seventeen can attend to learn mathematical concepts and cross-cultural computational systems, history of mathematics, how to build machines from mathematical proofs, mathematics as celebrated in the arts (literature, film, music, parody, ...more), as well as how grow your own quantum intelligence capacity ... all in an informal non-school, non-curriculum, creative, and social environment.

#MathematicalConcepts #MathsHistory #MathMachines #MathInTheArts #ComputationalSystems #PatternRecognition #QuantumIntelligence #WorldMathematics

mathematics not arithmetic

#SmashedMath is particularly keen to support children from low-income and unwaged households to succeed in learning mathematics.

#SmashedMath believes that a sound understanding of the beautiful nature of mathematics is crucially important now more than ever before to support and enhance our modern lives.

From personal banking and family budgeting to making major purchasing decisions through to computer programming and coding and advanced security and encryption systems to all aspects of STEAM (Science, Techology, Engineering, Arts, Maths) through to music, design and the arts through to theoretical maths and understanding the quantum nature of our universe ..... the possibilities are almost literally infinite, #SmashedMath believes that it’s both better and easier to learn solid math skills earlier rather than later!

The initial six week, November-December 2017, program of #SmashedMath is an unfunded volunteer-led pilot to determine ongoing interest in running it as a social learning group for kids on a regular basis in 2018.

#SmashedMath embraces the values and principles of social inclusion and validation, social and cultural diversity and equality for people of all abilities.

What #SmashedMath is NOT
#SmashedMath is not a homework help group.

Key Aims of #SmashedMath

#SmashedMath is a group to help kids who have difficulty with or indeed have learned to hate mathematics. We aim to help kids to open up their mathematical creativity and discover or rediscover a love of learning maths.

#SmashedMath is a group dedicated to help children of all ages to experience the joy that mathematics embodies.

#SmashedMath aims to plant the seed of visualising mathematics in the real world as the launch pad for visualising quantum concepts and structures.

Interactive, colourful, noisy and fun is the aim of the game with #SmashedMath.

Knowledge which is acquired under compulsion
obtains no hold on the mind. ~ Plato

Knowledge is that which benefits,
not that which is memorised. ~ Imam ash-Shafi'i

Inspired by the need to support our sons to smash the math, we are running #SmashedMath as a not for profit, social education program to support children learning mathematics.

#SmashedMath : we want to totally smash the math and help other kids to do it too.

Photos from the Pilot Sessions

Promotions

An event was created on Eventbrite, set as a free event, in order to handle the registrations for the Pilot Program.

A Facebook page was created for the Pilot Program, used as the central point of communications.

The Pilot Program was promoted via Facebook Groups, specifically in the local Home Education groups. This led to significant word of mouth referral within the Home Education community in the Perth metropolitan region.

With the limited promotional activity the overall number of target parents reached was impressive.

Outcomes

The homeschooled cohort indicated intense interest in the methods and activities introduced, actively engaging with other children to assist one another. All the children attending expressed satisfaction at the end of the first session, and indicated that they had had fun during the session.

Parents expressed appreciation for the alternative methods of mathematical thinking that were introduced to their children.

The children who were not identified as having special educational needs found the methods presented to be easy to grasp and use.

Alternatively, as a direct result of their attendance of this Pilot Program, one of the children with special educational needs discovered that he could recognise patterns in a multiplication grid. He was still cognitively challenged when attempting to perform calculations (his mother indicated a moderate autism spectrum disorder had been identified by the family GP and confirmed by a specialist practitioner), but was delighted to be noticing the number patterns. This child was one of the five who attended all four sessions.

Attendance

Four sessions were held, instead of the initially planned six.

Session 1, 2 November, 2017: 19 attendees
Session 2, 9 November, 2027: 5 attendees
Session 3, 16 November, 2017: 5 attendees
Session 4, 25 November, 2017: 5 attendees

Unfortunately, one family did not attend the venue for their first session visit until the week after the program was wound up. No demographic available for the family.

Retention

The homeschoolers cohort consisted of a number of students who demonstrated advanced mathematical knowledge and skills for their age group; these families chose to only attend the first session. This was in large part influenced by the distance involved in travelling to attend the first session, and may also have been influenced by a lack of foreknowledge of the activities intended to be introduced in subsequent sessions.

Families seeking ongoing support and development opportunities for their children attended all four sessions.

Demographics

Age Groupings

7-11 years: 8 individuals
12-14 years: 7 individuals
15-17 years: 1 individual
Undisclosed: 3 individuals

Sex / Gender

Sex / Gender information was not collected.

Residential Postcodes

6016: 2 individuals
6019: 1 individual
6022: 2 individuals
6036: 2 individuals
6062: 1 individual
6064: 1 individual
6100: 3 individuals
6167: 1 individual
6169: 2 individuals
6171: 1 individual
6210: 3 individuals

Homeschooled / Conventional Schooled Individuals

The first session consisted of 16 homeschooled students, and three conventional schooled students.
Sessions two through four consisted of two homeschooled children (the Richards Family children) and three conventionally schooled children.

Children with Special Educational Needs

Two parents identified their children as having special learning needs and challenges.

Anecdotal Feedback

It was the intention to analyse feedback data collected from parents. However, the information was collected in written form and the pages are currently in storage archives; the information will be added here at a later date.

There was keen interest from one parent to pick up and run these sessions at a venue closer to her home.

There was considerable interest from the home education parents for this program to be delivered as one off workshops rather than weekly sessions.

Conversation with parents of older sibling children also engaged in homeschooling but who chose not to attend was that they were reluctant to participate due to perceived age differences: "they don't want to mix with little kids".

Parents all remained with their children, some actively participated in the activities.

Facilitator Observations

Strengths:

broadly diverse and inclusive focus on world mathematical knowledge and systems.
the facility was extremely well supplied with audio visual equipment.
the facility environment was modern and was highly conducive to engagement with the cohort and indeed the sessions were open to the residents of The Foyer and their children (the homeschooled children in particular were impressed and not backwards in coming forward commenting on the high quality of the facility in comparison to the usual venues that they attend).
the concept is replicable with unlimited ability to tour the program regionally within Western Australia, and interstate ... internationally too.
active engagement with the children and an each-one-teach-one approach within the group.
flexible sessions without set mathematical methodologies as determined by the Australian Curriculum.
Mozart helps.

Weaknesses:

small numbers once the homeschooled children left after the first session, effectively gutting the numbers to below the minimum viable number for robust interactions within the group.
self-funded by the facilitator = limited the resources available for the sessions.
the sessions did not effectively meet the needs of children with special educational needs.
sessions may have to be held within school grounds in some areas if no suitable library or other facility is available which is not conducive to rewiring the negative linkages some children have experienced in relation to arithmetic and the Australian Curriculum.
the facilitator is not a trained mathematician per se and experiences challenges communicating her visualisation of sessions to others.

Opportunities:

different streams for different cohorts, eg homeschooled, traditionally schooled, gifted, twice-gifted, however, segregation into groups by bell curved statistical theoretical abilities is not the preferred model.
explore possibilities for children with special educational needs.
viable venues are envisaged as available in most public library spaces and within a variety of local government facilities therefore enabling sessions to be facikitated.

Threats:

parental involvement motivated by self-interest was evidenced by suggestions from several of the homeschooled group’s parents of cash payments for sessions; this was in direct opposition of explicity articulated purposes of the social education model, democratised for children from all financial backgrounds and politely declined.

Constraints:

non-existent funding.
appropriate staffing to enable development and expansion of the program.
suitable venue afforadbility and availability.

Content Development and Enhancement

Ideas and recommendations for further workshop development:

Exponential growth (using the rice chessboard model) ~ chess boards and Rubik’s cubes.
Streams: non-bell curved. ~ Age segments: 7-11 12-14, 15-17
Equipment: floor tables which adequate surface area for children to work.
Programs with all aspects ~ brain breaks ~ quantum brain training sessions FOCUS ~ cover mind maps too.
Obtain license for Mozart background music through the group's account rather than the facilitator’s personal account.

Funding & Budget

All funding for resources and supplies utilised during delivery of this program was provided gratis by the Richards Family.

Sponsorship of room supply by Foyer Oxford, provided gratis, received with sincere thanks!

Future development and delivery of this program requires a more structured approach to funding necessitating an appropriate budget to be costed and developed.

Sponsorship Opportunities

If this program is to go forward, appropriate sponsorship would need to be sought, aligned to funding targets against clearly defined budget needs and cost centres.

Artwork of the Pilot Program

Credits:

Designed by Anita Richards.
Background texture used is by Studio Flergs.
Font used is Peach Sundress by Teagan White.

Bibliography and References

#SmashedMath Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/SmashedMath/)
Archimedes Lab (https://archimedes-lab.org)
BrainScale(https://brainscale.net)
Entrepreneur Asia Pacific (https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/304731/)
Mensa (https://www.mensa.org/iq/recognising-potential/)
Mensa Brain Training (http://www.mensabraintraining.com)
Mensa Brain Training App (https://apps.apple.com/au/app/mensa-brain-training/id768606792/)
ABC News: Are we failing the most gifted kids in our schools? How money and advantage affect education (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-12-08/gifted-children-who-cant-afford-to-succeed-/104689716)

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