Math a matter of mind

Elia Powers

Matthew Peterson’s office has that mad scientist look: Elaborate

mathematical equations and vague diagrams fill ceiling-high

whiteboards on three sides of the room.

He dresses the part too. A long white shirt is a staple of his

wardrobe.

But when Peterson explains his latest research and shows off his

work, it’s hardly esoteric.

In fact, his job is to simplify material, to break down

intermediate math problems and represent them visually so children

under the age of 10 can understand.

Peterson is chief technical officer at the Mind Institute, a Costa

Mesa-based nonprofit organization that develops programming to help

increase math literacy for students in kindergarten through fifth

grade.

“The big problem is that students don’t understand math,” Peterson

said. “If they can’t learn these skills, they are out of the picture

for most high-tech jobs.”

That’s why after more than 30 years of researching

spatial-temporal reasoning -- the ability to solve a multi-step

problem by visualizing the components and planning a sequence of

steps to solve it -- former UC Irvine professor Gordon Shaw started

the corporation in 1998.

The Mind Institute serves a dual research and educational

function. Staff scientists study cognitive behavior and develop

programming while others travel to classrooms to help teachers

implement the software into their curriculum.

Peterson, a co-founder, designs the computer games, called Star,

that are meant to incorporate basic math principals. The games all

focus on repetition and visual cues. Students are asked to move JiJi,

an animated penguin, across the screen by solving problems.

In one game, for instance, they click on blocks that fall from the

top of the screen to the bottom. The only way for JiJi to get across

the screen is for the students to figure out which fractions will add

up to one to build a bridge for the penguin.

This teaches them about spatial reasoning, Peterson said.

He said he is trying to get students out of the habit of thinking

about math in terms of equations.

“It’s about solving problems,” he said. “Studies show that

students learn best by visualizing the work.”

But this isn’t Disney-style animation, he is quick to explain.

“There are no bells and whistles in the computer games,” Peterson

said. “The animation is there for a purpose. We are light on sound

effects. We don’t want to be flashy.”

Students can follow their progress by clicking on graphs that show

them their percentage of correct answers. Peterson said it’s all part

of the visual experience.

Mickey Shaw, director of development at the Mind Institute, and of

no relation to founder Gordon Shaw, said the software is an academic

equalizer. Words are used scarcely in directions; students have to

use trial and error to understand the purpose of each game.

“You don’t need to speak English,” Mickey Shaw said. “You don’t

need to speak anything to have success with the program.”

Mickey Shaw makes regular visits to some of the 68 schools, mostly

in Southern California, that use the Mind Institute’s Math Plus Music

programming. She expects that number to climb to more than 90 by the

next school year.

Mickey Shaw said the institute targets mostly lower-performing

schools in an attempt to raise math proficiency scores to above the

national average.

No schools in Newport Beach or Costa Mesa have signed up to use

the program yet, Mickey Shaw said. Newport-Mesa schools already use a

different math programs.

One of the first schools to implement the programming was Madison

Elementary School in Santa Ana, which is 98% Hispanic, Mickey Shaw

said. Six hundred students in second, third and fourth grade use the

software.

In the music room, 30 children play synchronized notes on

individual pianos. They clap to “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” and

pound out 16th notes on the keyboard. The teacher gives students a

lecture on rhythm and explains how it equates with math.

In the math class, students are silent as they play their computer

games on Macintosh computers. Even though the classroom can look like

a video arcade at times, Peterson said there has been little

resistance from parents because the software is meant to augment

traditional textbook curriculum.

“It makes me think faster and visualize the problems,” said Edwin

Castillo, 8, a second-grader at Madison.

Madison’s principal, Marti Baker, said she has seen the results,

both in quantitative and qualitative terms.

The school’s median math scores have gone up significantly in the

five years since students have used the Mind Institute programs, she

said. And students overwhelmingly tell her that math is their

favorite subject.

Baker said she appreciates the academic focus of the institute.

“Most programs are just looking to make money,” she said. “These

are scientists who are genuinely concerned with how we process

information. The money goes back into research that helps students

become better learners.”

* ELIA POWERS is the enterprise and general assignment reporter.

He may be reached at (714) 966-4623.