What If Math uses a relatively new concept to enhance the way math is taught so that kids are given more relevant skills for today’s digital world.
The company says that the way math — and algebra specifically — is taught today is based on a concept developed by Leonardo of Pisa in 1202 as a way to help traders. This, it says, is now redundant thanks to all the digital tools that use spreadsheets to do that part of mathematical working.
This is where What If Math comes in, as a way to teach math using spreadsheets so students gain real-world math skills to eventually help them in the workplace. In the more short term, it provides them with the tools to explore questions that can help expand their knowledge of math, logic, science, and more.
This guide aims to explain all you need to know about What If Math to see how it could work in your class.
What is What If Math?
What If Math is website that uses spreadsheet-based teaching to help students learn math in a functional way that can be directly implemented with current digital tools.
This platform works with K-12 curriculum to help students learn math on a functional foundation using spreadsheets. These, the company says, are what it thinks of as laboratories. Within this space students can explore, try, and be challenged using the powerful tools that are already available.
Since this works with spreadsheets as the base, it’s possible to do this kind of teaching using free options such as Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel to play with tablets, graphs, formulas, and visualizations.
The system works with various layer to help guide students into learning more.
How does What If Math work?
What If Math offers what it calls Labs. These are spreadsheet-based lessons with single experiment concepts that allow students to explore that question of what if?
Usefully, lessons are designed with timing in mind and are made to last the duration of a class period. That said, since these offer open-ended questions, there is the option for students to explore further and in more depth as they please.
Another area is Explorations. These are projects that set a problem task that students have to work through as collaborative groups. These involve real-world activities and can involve using spreadsheets, functional thinking, computer science, and data science.
In both instances, the lessons are designed for teachers to be taught to a class and shared with students to access as they need.
What are the best What If Math features?
What If Math offers a way for teachers to pick and chose what parts to use and offer as experiential learning for students. That can be the more individual-focused Lab materials or the more active and group-focused Explorations.
In both cases, since these are built to be taught in class, there are excellent timings to work through in a lesson, as well as to set further explorations outside of class.
Since the Labs are designed for use with real spreadsheets, these teach students valuable skills that can be used in science, business, math, and more.
Since this use of spreadsheets is a form of programming, this sets students up for coding in a way comes from a place of understanding and experience.
Select a link and you’re immediately taken to the Google Sheets lesson plan with guidance on how to work through that task.
How much does What If Math cost?
What If Math is totally free to access and use with all the Labs and Explorations available online for teachers and students to access.
What If Math best tips and tricks
Teach yourself
Work through a Lab yourself as a way to understand how this works and is taught before taking that to the class.
Use the Introduction
A helpful introduction part of the site teaches how this works and is a great way to ease students into understanding.
Share openly
Compile the lessons on your shared drive so students can have access to the materials as and when they need, allowing them to explore freely.