MathicSTEAM
Project Overview
MathicSTEAM is a three-layer instructional program that integrates collaborative learning, problem-based projects, and individualized, game-based development of executive function skills (EFs) in a math fluency context. The curriculum was built for grades 4 and 5, designed from the ground up based on neuroscience. It represents a transformative approach to mathematics education, uniting neuroscience, equity, and innovative design to empower every student as a mathematical thinker.
MathicSTEAM starts with the collaborative integrated learning layer, an innovative digital platform that hosts classroom lessons and facilitates teamwork and academic discourse. Then, the problem-based learning layer uses activities in playbooks to engage students in mini-projects to build real-world math skills and cultural connections. Finally, the individual game-based layer combines adaptive math fact fluency instruction with executive function skill development, where each game builds mastery from an asset-based perspective that centers student agency.
Design elements from the collaborative and problem-based layers informed the development of InsightMath, MIND Education’s K–6 comprehensive math curriculum. The individual game-based math fact fluency training program, MathFluency+, continues to be developed and pilot tested as a standalone resource.
MathFluency+: Supplemental
Project Approach
MathicSTEAM’s approach weaves together math, EFs, and equity to help students develop deep mathematical understanding through learning experiences grounded in neuroscience and designed to promote agency and belonging.
InsightMath
InsightMath engages students and refines their mathematical understanding through immersive experiences. It leverages the brain’s innate spatial-temporal reasoning ability to solve mathematical problems, enabling students to visualize the math and build deep conceptual understanding.
MathFluency+
MathFluency+ is designed to simultaneously improve math fluency and provide affordances to directly develop math-related EFs. Its primary goal is to maximize a student’s cognitive capacity for math learning.
Equitable Learning Experiences
MathicSTEAM empowers students to be authors of their own learning by taking an asset-based approach to identify and leverage students’ strengths, and giving them a voice in their learning journey.
Project Impact
MathicSTEAM has produced measurable impact in classrooms, reaching thousands of students and educators, while contributing research findings to advance math education.
Key Insights and Innovations
MathFluency+’s novel approach integrates opportunities to directly develop executive function skills within a math fact fluency context
The MathicSTEAM team invented nine digital games that integrate the development of EFs directly into math fact fluency practice. MathFluency+ recognizes their bidirectional relationship: EFs provide the mental workspace needed to learn and perform math operations, while math practice itself offers opportunities to develop EFs. By engaging students in concurrent development of both, MathFluency+ frees up cognitive capacity for deeper math learning.
Lessons increase understanding and awareness of executive function skills and support engagement
MathFluency+ includes eight 15-minute mini-lessons designed to help teachers and students understand the “why” behind the program—connecting math fluency development to EFs and supporting students’ belief in themselves as math learners. Teachers report that when students understand which EFs a particular game is targeting and how fluency connects to tackling more complex problems, their frustration decreases and their willingness to persist increases. The mini-lessons also support culturally relevant teaching practices and help ensure consistent implementation of MathFluency+ in classrooms.
Adaptive algorithms and feedback support students’ personalized learning paths
In MathFluency+, each student experiences a personalized sequence of problems, driven by an adaptive algorithm that continuously adjusts the difficulty based on the student’s performance. A student’s pathway is designed to keep them challenged enough to promote growth and succeed enough to build confidence and self-efficacy. When a student answers a question incorrectly, animated feedback highlights misconceptions and guides them toward underlying concepts rather than simply marking answers wrong. This design supports both skill development and sustained engagement by ensuring students experience frequent success as they progress toward mastery.
Co-designing curriculum with students results in more representative learning experiences that build student agency and voice
The MathicSTEAM team partnered with students to co-design culturally relevant, asset-based learning experiences that reflect students’ identities and mathematical strengths. Students shaped key components of MathicSTEAM — including storylines, characters, and a strengths-based dashboard that celebrates growth rather than deficits. Co-designers felt meaningfully validated when they saw their ideas translated into actual materials, and it demonstrated how student voice remained central to MathicSTEAM’s approach. Their contributions informed design principles that continue to influence MIND’s broader curriculum work, including InsightMath.
VOICES FROM THE EF+MATH COMMUNITY
Research Highlights
Acknowledgments
We gratefully acknowledge the leadership of the MIND Research Institute, in partnership with sub-award recipients at the University of Maryland, College Park and Northeastern University.
Explore Our R&D Projects
The EF+Math portfolio of R&D projects developed innovative math learning products and advanced research on mathematics learning, executive function skills, and equitable learning experiences using inclusive R&D methods.