The Power of ‘And’

You may have heard that our materials were recently reviewed by EdReports, the non-profit that has expert reviewers look at the quality of instructional materials. The review process got me thinking about how our materials are constructed, both in our software and in our textbooks. The word “and” came to mind.

When we think about education today, everyone is talking about building 21st century skills and how they need to be incorporated into the learning experience. Some of these skills include: critical thinking, problem solving, communication, collaboration, and creativity.

Why are these skills so important?

I do not have to look any further than our work here at Carnegie Learning. When I look around our office, I see instructional designers who build amazing math problems, cognitive scientists who have dedicated their lives to understanding how we learn, researchers who study the intricacies of learning, and engineers who put the pieces together to deliver powerful learning experiences. Each has unique, incredible skills, yet when they are on their own, they are limited in their power.

The power of Carnegie Learning is that we have created a place where their skills can be used collaboratively; a place where innovation and creativity and problem solving are valued. We are creating an 'and' culture. Partnering a researcher with an instructional designer and a cognitive scientist with an engineer is the ultimate cocktail to create a superhero. As a result, you get instructional materials that have the potential to change students' lives.

Every day we see the power of 21st century skills and fully understand why students should be developing them everywhere, including in math class. So I think the big question is, "How do we get a little bit more 'and' into all of our classrooms?"