New math technique coming

This fall, UCI researchers will implement an experimental math program at 50 elementary schools in Orange County.

UCI professor Michael Martinez will join with the Orange County Department of Education and the MIND Research Institute in Santa Ana to use alternative methods to teach math to second- through fifth-graders at under-performing elementary schools.

The experimental technique will use game-like computer programs to promote the use of visual reasoning skills in math.

“This approach offers the potential for transforming the way mathematics is taught by emphasizing intuitive, visual understanding of concepts and by, at least initially, minimizing technical symbols and terminology,” Martinez said in a news release.

The researchers will use a $3-million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to track the progress of the trial students compared with their classmates.

The MIND Research Institute, a nonprofit organization specializing in K-12 education, will provide the software.

— Paul Oginni