Much More Than A Match Teaching Tool
Smartick (@SmartickMethod) is an online (PC or tablet) Math learning method in Spanish that aims to change the teaching paradigm for children aged 4 to 14. Smartick is a unique market offering with full adaptability and guidance to students since it tracks the performance of the student in depth, feeding the algorithms in real time and enabling the program to propose customized content to each student.
Smartick improves Math learning considerably by basing the experience on 4 pillars:
1) Program focused on improving mental calculation skills, as well as logic and problem solving capabilities;
2) Adaptive content to each student in real time, problem by problem, based on their individual capabilities and behavior, enabling an individualized learning experience;
3) Short (15-20 min) daily efforts at maximum concentration;
4) Instant feedback to the student, providing immediate and regular reinforcement to maintain students’ interest through gamification, fostering learning effectiveness.
Smartick also provides comprehensive information to the student’s tutors (parents and/or teachers) on their daily work and overall progress.
Gamification
Motivation is a key factor in the learning process. Smartick maintains children’s engagement by relying strongly on gamification techniques. During the session, gamification aims to foster children’s motivation without distracting them from the main task (solving Math exercises). To do that, developers came up with a reward system with points (called ticks) that students can obtain depending on their performance on the exercises completed. These ticks can only be used once the daily 15-minute session is finished.
Once the daily session is finished, students access a virtual world with a variety of different activities. They are all oriented to maintain their highest level of interest and enthusiasm, for example, change the design of their fully customized avatar; make friends; use their ticks to buy items to decorate their virtual bedrooms, clothes and accessories for the avatar, or even feed pets or plants. Children can also play fun, educational games that train cognitive abilities (such as memory or attention). Additionally, they compete against other students in mathematical games to try to reach the top of the podium. Based on a well-thought achievement system, Smartick encourages students to outdo themselves when playing the games. Children can keep track of their achievements completed, earning a badge or a trophy each time they complete an achievement. They can compare their performance on games with their friends.
Results
Gamification techniques during the session have helped students increase the speed of solving Math algorithms and exercises by over 30% since their implementation, without negatively affecting children’s effectiveness.
The use of gamification after the session and the resulting improvements in the virtual world have also increased the time and depth of how children use Smartick. To date, Smartick users have: made more than 31,000 friendship relations, purchased more than 10,000 items in the virtual store, played more than 5,000 games daily, and performed more than 300 minutes of math competitions every day. Overall, the use of gamification techniques has increased the number of Smartick’s active customers by over 50%, and the percentage of subscription cancellations has dropped from 12 to 5%.
Smartick is much more than just teaching kids mathematics. With Smartick children strengthen their Math calculation skills, but also their logic and problem solving capabilities as well as their reading comprehension skills.
