Improving math proficiency has been a frustrating, elusive goal for American educators – as evidenced by the perennially dismal showing of US students in comparison to those in other countries (35th of 64 in 2015). But thanks to a boost from Horizons Companies, early math learners will soon have a more creative, adaptive, intuitive way to master abstract math concepts – with a comprehensive set of Personal Tutor videos that show how many different paths can lead to the same correct solution.
To enhance McGraw-Hill Education’s hugely successful Everyday Math program – which helps pre-K through 6th grade students understand difficult math concepts by applying them to relatable, real-world situations – Horizons is producing hundreds of video presentations that take the print or digital textbook one step further. Each video is created to have the look, sound and feel of a comfortable, familiar classroom lesson – from the soothing but encouraging voice of the ‘teacher’…to the personal, handwritten figures that animate whiteboard-style before the student’s eyes…to the pacing, language and tone of the presentation. And each video offers step-by-step demonstrations of various approaches that can be employed to reach a desired result. Understanding that different children have different ways of processing knowledge, the video helps students focus on the method that works best for them, reinforcing their overall proficiency as they move from grade to grade. And of course, each of the videos is also produced in Spanish, to ensure that the greatest number of US students has the opportunity to achieve the optimal level of mastery in mathematics.
When producing media of this sort, Horizons understands the value of a creative approach to problem solving, coupled with an almost fanatical attention to detail. Partnering with publishers like McGraw-Hill has been our hallmark for more than 25 years, and improving the educational process has been our mission – regardless of the projects’ size, scope and schedule.
