Teacher: Students, today in math you'll be playing computer games that have no instructions and you have to figure out how to solve the puzzles yourself. There's a penguin whose name is JiJi, it's all based around how your brain learns, and if you play a lot, you're going to get much better in math.
Student: Are you kidding?
Introducing ST Math
A great introduction will help students understand how to approach ST Math while they build problem solving skills and become self-directed learners. You can choose to introduce the program by using our ST Math Introduction Tool, playing a game together on your own, or showing one of our videos.
You will also need to introduce the picture password as well. Learn more about those below.
Using Our Guided Intro
Project this web link and it will walk you through introducing ST Math to your students: Guided ST Math Intro.
You can preview it here:
Review of how to use the Guided Intro*:
First, choose whether to play a game right away or watch a fun introductory video that your students will love.
After asking and answering some questions, you'll be guided through the Notice, Predict, Analyze, Connect Learning Cycle as you play a simple game.
When you've completed the puzzles from lower grades, you'll have the option to continue with similar games, choose more challenging, or even more challenging games.
*Includes English and Spanish
By Playing a Game Together
To use a game, select a game by going to your Educator Experience home screen, clicking the Curriculum menu, and choosing All Learning Objectives. Then you can select a grade level and choose which Objective you'd like to use. We suggest choosing one of the early Objectives in that grade level's Journey and project the game.
- Explain that ST Math is a special math program that teaches math in a very different way.
- Looking at the screen, what do you see? Answers will vary depending on the game you choose.
- What do you think you're supposed to do? ST Math doesn't give you any instructions. Your job is to figure out what the puzzle is.
- What do you notice when I click on the screen? Parts of the screen shimmer.
- What should we do now? Try out several of the students' suggestions.
- Discuss JiJi, the penguin Introduce JiJi (see JiJi, The Penguin module) and explain that the goal is to get JiJi across the screen by solving the puzzle. If JiJi's path is blocked, you have to figure out what went wrong.
- Explain that they'll have to get every puzzle correct to go to the next puzzle.
- Explain to students in grades 2 and up that each set of games will start with a short quiz. They should do their best and use paper and pencil if they need to.
Using a Video (English)
For grades k-5:
For grades 6+
Using a Video (Spanish)
For grades k-5:
For grades 6+
Your Students Will Be Using a Picture Password. What's That?
The Picture Password is a set of 13 pictures that students are taught to recognize. For new students, the first example of neuroscience at work in ST Math is how they can easily learn to recognize a 13-picture password. It’s also the first chance for students to be impressed at what they are able to accomplish in ST Math. Students returning to ST Math who already have a picture password should use it to log in to ST Math after entering their Invitation Code. If they have played ST Math in the past but have forgotten their password, contact Support with their name, previous school, and previous teacher.
Five Awesome Facts about Picture Passwords
- No memorization required! Students learn to recognize a unique series of pictures rather than memorize and have to recall a string of seemingly random letters and numbers.
- Pictures means anyone can have a password. Even young children still struggling with the alphabet can learn pictures and they love being able to log in all by themselves.
- The password stays with the student. Schools have different standards for ID numbers and computer log-ins, but their ST Math picture password stays the same no matter where the student logs in. Even if the student moves to an ST Math class halfway around the world, they’ll keep the same picture password.
- It never changes. Students keep the same picture password every year as long as they use ST Math.
- It’s fun! Every time you enter your picture password, it feels like your brain is ready to learn.
You can see for yourself in this Picture Password Training Simulation. You'll only learn eight pictures but you may be surprised just how easy it is when we use neuroscience to help us learn.
Kindergarten students will learn the first 8 pictures in their password on their first day. After they complete two Objectives, they'll learn the rest of their 13-picture password.
Transitional and Pre-Kindergarten students will learn the first 8 pictures in their password on their first day. After they complete two objectives, they'll learn the rest of their 13-picture password.
Try the Picture Password for Yourself
This activity gives you a taste of how neuroscience can make something that seems impossible, easy! You'll be learning a shortened version of the picture password using the same principles and activities that your students will use.
Introducing the Picture Password
Students will automatically begin picture password training as soon as they sign in for the first time. As you experienced in the Simulation above, learning to recognize a series of images is easy if the training is well designed.
Share the five awesome things about picture passwords and feel free to add some of your own!
- No memorizing. Just recognizing.
- You can use your picture password to sign in to ST Math from any computer.
- It's your password forever.
- It never changes.
- It's fun!
The most important thing to remember when talking about the picture password is to be confident that your students can learn it. Emphasize the fun and how incredible our brains are. Even very young children and children with severe challenges have been able to learn and use their picture password so assume the best.
And to make it a little more fun, you can share this video with your students:
Pre-kindergarten and Transitional Kindergarten students will learn the first eight pictures of the picture password after they log in for the first time. After they complete two Objectives, they will learn the final five pictures.
Kindergarten students will learn the first eight pictures of the picture password after they log in for the first time. After they complete two Objectives, they will learn the final five pictures.