Learning Approach of Eye Level Math

Math is a subject of problem solving with numbers using calculation skills. At school, lower-grade students focus on learning arithmetic and move on to making equations and solving complicated problems as they advance to higher grades. Along the way, students need to develop both arithmetic and problem-solving skills.
To meet such needs of the students, unlike other programs that focus on arithmetic skills, Eye Level provides CTM where students can develop their critical thinking skills required for solving more challenging problems. At the lower grades, by being exposed to patterns and relationships, measurement, and reasoning, the students gradually venture into developing their problem-solving skills.

The primary role of an Eye Level Instructor is to understand your child, closely observing their learning approach and responding to their cues. With a vast array of material, we prioritize ability-driven education over age-based instruction. In selecting work, instructors aim to challenge and stretch students, fostering independence without relying on adult assistance. Our approach focuses on building robust foundations and study skills before systematically and logically introducing new learning blocks.
Over time, children learn to utilize workbooks and one-on-one coaching effectively. While we can and do provide direct instruction, it’s viewed as a last resort rather than the initial step. Our students embody resourcefulness, resilience, and hard work, all underpinned by the understanding that they have our full support. The individualized nature of our approach shapes students in a uniquely transformative way.

Since every child is unique and has a different learning pace, repetition is required to ensure that he/she achieves the necessary understanding, speed and accuracy.

According to the Ebbinghaus’ Forgetting Curve, the more we re-learn a topic, the more data we will retain.

However, repetition of booklets is assigned only when necessary, according to your child’s performance, and Instructor’s observation and understanding of his/her abilities and skills.

While we do assign homework to reinforce new skills and knowledge between classes, we strive to make this experience entirely manageable. We understand that parents want to be involved in supporting their child’s learning journey without necessarily taking on the role of the primary educator—after all, that’s why they’ve chosen us. Anticipate your child spending more time with us and less time negotiating academic tasks at home, ensuring a smoother learning experience for both students and parents.

At Eye Level, our students have the flexibility to attend once or twice a week, a decision left entirely to the parent or student’s preference. The structure ensures that choosing between the two options does not fundamentally impact progress or attainment. While there’s no time fixation in our approach, as we don’t prescribe set class durations or time completion metrics, we prioritize careful observation and one-on-one coaching for effective mastery determination.

A child remains in class until they’ve perfected the day’s work, with completion time varying based on factors such as the child’s age, level, ability, and duration of their Eye Level engagement. On average, once settled, a child might spend around 45 minutes per subject.

All of a child’s activities, whether at home or in class, are meticulously documented in our student dashboard within the Key and Manager application. Monthly, we assess progress against each student’s study projection, a metric diligently tracked by our Eye Level Instructors. Upon completion of each level, students undergo a Level Test. This test serves as a tool to predict and manage the transition to above-curriculum-level work.

Upon enrolment, we provide an estimated timeframe for this achievement and consistently keep you informed about your child’s progress in relation to this milestone. Feel free to request this information at any point during your journey with us.

Enrolling your child in Eye Level is already a significant show of support, and we appreciate your commitment. While we rely on your assistance with the logistics of study and encourage a positive and supportive environment, we don’t expect you to take on teaching, grading, or timekeeping responsibilities. We understand that as parents, your time is valuable and that’s why you’ve turned to us for help. If your child encounters challenges at home, encourage them to refer to the workbook instructions. If that doesn’t resolve the issue, they can either wait for the next class or reach out to the Center Director. We’re here to solve any problems for you. Our goal is for you to enjoy the benefits of Eye Level study without having to deliver the program on our behalf – it’s as simple as that.

Mathematics is largely about figures and symbols. Your child should have no problem understanding the questions for the basic mathematical questions. However, the more difficult problem solving questions will require more knowledge of English.

There is no prerequisite of Mathematical knowledge needed to begin studying Eye Level Math. You can enroll your child at the Eye Level Leaning Center as soon as he/she is ready. Again, as there is absolutely no Mathematical or number knowledge required, readiness is measured rather in terms of some basic verbal communication and understanding, as well as some basic motor skills of holding a pencil and writing. The latter is perhaps the more limiting criterion as the child’s neurological development and motor skills do develop only after a certain age. In the very first Level 1, Eye Level Math teaches your child how to recognize and write the numbers from 1 to 10.

With strong mental calculation skills, students are able to calculate faster than if they are reliant upon written steps to make calculations. By performing basic calculations more quickly, a student can allocate more time to reasoning and problem solving. Improving calculation skills also helps students develop better number sense and thus also develops their estimation skills which are useful at all levels of mathematics.

Eye Level discourages finger counting because we aim to develop a student’s mental calculation skills.
Dependence on finger counting typically indicates that a student does not have a strong sense of numbers and quantities. Furthermore, if your child is dependent on his/her fingers when calculating, it will slow him/her down and will increase the likelihood of larger errors if a mistake is made when finger counting. With practice and appropriate emphasis and review, the dependence on finger-counting can typically be eliminated.

This depends on whether this is a habit or a dependency. If this is purely a habit, the child can and will quickly be able to calculate without the need for fingers after a few tries. If using fingers is a dependency, Eye Level Math may then have to teach the child the understanding and concepts of the arithmetical process from the very basics, as previously explained.

This aims to further sharpen your child’s mental arithmetic skills. Also, this removes yet another dependency from your child in his/her arithmetical calculation and prepares him for calculations and processes that involve multiple steps in more advanced levels of study. With mastery of the basic addition and subtraction facts, and practice with earlier mental calculation exercises, children can reduce or eliminate the need for showing carryovers and borrows.

If the school teacher penalizes your child for not writing these carryover/borrowing numbers in school and for exams, by all means, then please write them in school. If your child is able to mentally complete the operation without any dependency on these numbers being written down at Eye Level, there will be no problem doing the question if required to write them down. However, if your child is dependent on them, this is not good.

The calculator is a great invention. However, students should master the basic 4 operations skills before proceeding to the use of a calculator. Mastery of the basic skills promotes mental calculation. Exposing students to calculators at early stage makes them lazy and mentally sluggish. The blind usage of a calculator without proper knowledge of Mathematics can also lead to a wrong answer. For example, just keying 4 + 6 x 2 on may give the answer 20 on one calculator, while another calculator may give the answer 16. There is the Order of Operations rule to be observed and some calculators may have an in-built function for this while others may not. Furthermore, we will not always have a calculator at hand with us at all times.