Learning with

Understanding
For every child?

Sudhir Ghodke|Educational Initiatives

www.mindspark.in | sudhir@ei-india.com
 Ge tica l
tg n al y
oo Be a oo
d
dm g
ark a ve ulary
H ab
s
voc

Deve
l t rate
com op good e n
Conc ell
pute w
r ski
lls

good at sports
m s
l i n xa
w el ive e
Do petit Be c
com omp
e titiv
e

We want our children to…

 Challenge
ENGAGEMENT DISENGAGEMENT/

v/s
PHOBIA

+ve spiral -ve spiral

IMPROVEMENT FAILURE
 c an ’ t
“ Ma I
it … .”
do
It not fun!
I want to do something else…
How do we address this?
Large scale research studies done
by EI state that
the top schools of the country
suffer from several learning gaps

Our teaching learning processes

need to be focus on learning with
understanding
Our teaching needs to
• make learning a long-term thinking centered process

• provide rich, on-going assessment

• support learning with powerful representations

• expect more from our students

• immerse students into the subject

• reassure students that it’s okay to make mistakes!

Teaching for Understanding,

David Perkins; Project Zero, Harvard School of Education
Educational Initiatives
the makers of ASSET
brings you…

A curriculum integrated self-learning program

 Main
Features
• Available for classes 1 – 10

• 22 modules in Maths

•CBSE; ICSE curricula synchronised

• Over 28,000 finely graded questions

• Internet based program, allows access

from home and school

• Works at the child’s level

• Customised to the teacher’s lesson plan

Other Features
Pre-tests, Challenge Questions, Post tests, Remedial Items, Parent Reports,
Teacher Reports
Why
Mindspark?
 makes math
enjoyable
 encourages
analytical skills
 gives feedback
regularly
 rewards the
child
 explains where
the child is going
wrong
 gives enough
practice to learn
By adapting to every child
a b le,
y
enjo rages, ,
n c o u b ac k
e f e e d
s
give ds,
w a r
r e s, .
p la in …
ex s … …
a c h e
c o

s ti ons
e d que ent
r a d e m
in e ly g a r r a ng a c y
F s e u r
s t e r wi o n ac c
Clu a s e d
m p b
s p e ed
Ju and
What is an adaptive logic?
Here is an example of how three children in the same
class would progress in Mindspark in a given topic

Student 1 Student 2 Student 3

35 23 16
+ 11 + 54 + 43
--------- --------- ---------

10 56 11
+3 + 36 +7
--------- --------- ---------

15 37 5
+ 10 - 12 +4
--------- --------- ---------
 By targeting
misconceptions
Detailed explanations
through illustration, graphics and
animations.
Remedial questions
Student are taught to measure around class 4…
They are shown an example like this…

So let’s say they were asked to measure this pencil…

Typically the child will take this pencil and place a ruler like this..
And say the answer is 9 cms…
Mindspark frames the question like this…

What is the length of this pencil?

Why?

Let’s see what students have to say…

Through our extensive research we learnt that students are not clear
about what is ‘1 cm.’

Hence Mindspark explains with the help illustrations like this and
ensures that students do not develop alternate concepts…

1 cm

Clearly highlights the

concepts that might have
MS Question 1
been identified as common MS Question 2 (Explanation for wrong
misconceptisons answer)
MS Question 3 (Broken Ruler – with expl)
MS Question 4
Enjoyable, encourages, gives feedback, rewards, explains, coaches……….

HOW?

By assisting
Teachers
Instantaneous feedback while teaching – Instant
rectification
Individual attention – homogenous class
Different approaches – Deeper understanding
• Mindspark covers various mathematics topics taught from class 1 to 10.
• Topics have been designed according to the those specified in curriculum
• Teachers can activate topics accordingly to what is being taught in class
Algebra
Percentages
Algebraic identities and factorisation
Percentagaes
Polynomials - zeroes, Remainder Compound interest
theorem and Factor theorem
Linear equations in two variables Real numbers

Quadratic equations Rational numbers

Geometry Real numbers

Point, lines and planes Exponents and roots

Parallel lines Trigonometry

Triangles, triangle properties and Trigonometric ratios

congruence
Coordinate geometry Heights and Distances

Similarity

Teacher Topics
Weekly Calendar for a teacher…
Mindspark
Day 1 Day 2 highlights Day 3
Teacher
Monday activates
Tuesday misconceptions
Wednesday
Teacher teaches Students practice And generates
topic in teacher reports Teacher clarifies
a new topic in the topic the misconceptions
Mindspar activated that helps in
class in class.
k planning her
next lesson
plans

Mindspark
generates a Day 5 Mindspark
report of the Friday generates Day 4
problem areas
with specific
Teacher discusses students Thursday
particular questions reports and Mindspark assess if
questions that highlights
and ensures that the the child has
were found problems
students are ready understood the
difficult by the areas in the
to learn the next concepts thoroughly
students to topic
topic
attempt

Mindspark does continuous assessment, gives enough practice

while guiding the child on this mistakes…
 Overall
Student-wise
report

Know the progress for each

child!
Also check
common
wrong
answers!

Topic wise….
Click here to see a student trail
How does Mindspark help improve scores?
Pilot Results

Extensive
research
shows…
The Mindspark team has
done extensive research
and conducted pilots in
some of the leading schools
of the country to check if
learning improves with the
help of Mindspark…

An improvement from 63 percentile to 81 percentile – 18

percentile improvement
Teachers Experiences with Mindspark
Mindspark overcomes the maths phobia
-Mrs.Rajam, Innisfree

It is done in accordance with class syllabus

then where teacher is unable to clear the
doubt, the system is doing it fairly well.
- Ms.Kanan Doshi, SN Kansagara

Students are very eager to attend Mindspark

classes. They enjoy problem solving through
Mindspark
-Ms Kanthapriya, Sishya School
Student Experiences with Mindspark

I liked the way they give us questions and they keep on becoming
harder and harder. its like a game for me and first I used to hate
maths now I don’t hate maths at all I am really very attentive now
its my one of the favourite period nowadays .
Shruti Nayak, Class 5, Gundecha Education Academy

i love the way that the questions are twisted and turned and given
to us to solve. i even like the visuals that are given for the
questions.
Naren Desai, Class 8, Riverside School
Case Studies
Kevin Sakariya, a class
7 student of SNK school
was struggling with the
topic Shapes. His
teacher says Mindspark
not only helped Kevin
understand the basic
concepts of shapes but
also clarified some of
the common
misconceptions in
measurement.
How students are learning with Mindspark?
Tejas Rachur student of class 6 struggled with the units dealing with
understanding equivalence between fractions. However, with certain
level of exposure and practice he was not only able to clarify his
misconceptions but also successfully clear higher level questions
which required comparison of fractions and estimating the value of
fractional numbers.

Equivalence of fractions
The unit begins with informally introducing concept of equivalence
through visual using a context (such as chocolates consumed by a
child).
How students are learning with Mindspark?
However, when the word problems based on sharing model (of
understanding fraction) were given to the student he would not able to
solve them correctly.
How students are learning with Mindspark?
The child was exposed to another way of teaching equivalence
fractions which might suit his existing knowledge content. This way
was more closely related to area model with which he might be
comfortable with. He was able to solve these problems more
accurately and go ahead.
How students are learning with Mindspark?
With a good exposure to different types of problems and models of
teaching, the student had developed basic understanding of fractions
as a number. He was able to do the unit on Estimating value of
fractional numbers in first attempt with 88% accuracy.
SNK, Rajkot - Case Study
sections pretest post test improvement difference
percentage
 The overall average
has gone up from A 10.7 14.4 3.7 18%
10 (out of a total of B 9.3 12.4 3.1 16%
20) to 12.6. This C 10.5 12.8 2.4 12%
D 9.9 13.3 3.3 17%
means there has
E 11.1 13.6 2.5 13%
been 13% increase F 12.3 14.1 1.9 9%
in the marks from G 10.0 13.2 3.2 16%
pre-test to post test. H 9.9 12.8 2.9 14%
I 8.8 10.0 1.3 6%
J 11.1 13.1 2.0 10%
 At section level K 10.9 12.6 1.7 9%
comparison, L 10.5 13.3 2.8 14%
M 8.5 12.2 3.6 18%
sections A, D, G, H, N 8.2 10.6 2.4 12%
M, O improving O 8.4 11.5 3.1 16%
more than average. P 9.3 11.9 2.7 13%
total average 10.0 12.6 2.7 13%
 Pre test
A teacher asked her students
to shade 1/3 of a circle.
This is how jenny,
Hamid and Tinu shaded circles.
Who has shaded correctly?
Post test
Nancy, Rinky and Zarina were
asked to draw a square and
shade 1/3 of it. This is how they
shaded the squares. Who has
shaded correctly?

A. Only Jenny
B. Only Tinu
C. Both Jenny and Hamid
D. Jenny, Hamid and Tinu
A.Only Nancy
B.Only Zarina
C.Only Nancy and Rinky
D.All – Nancy, Rinky and Zarina

Nidhi Vyas | Class 5 | Student

 Mindspark
in your school?
2009 2010
SN Kansagra, Rajkot …+
Innisfree House School, B’lore Manovikas, Goa
Sishya School, Hosur Shri Ram Schools, Gurgaon
Sindhi High School, Hebbal Delhi Public School, Guwahati
Gear, B’lore Anand Niketan, Ahmedabad
Riverside, Ahmedabad Vrajbhoomi, Anand
Heritage School, Gurgaon Inventure Academy, B’lore
Gundecha, Mumbai 10,013 students +
DLF, Ghaziabad
6733 students
Thank you!