Review for long-term retention
The typical approach to getting children to remember math concepts is to teach a concept and then keep them busy doing 20 or 30 problems to practice the new concept. This short-term drill approach, however, falls short in achieving long-term retention. Math on the Level takes a long-term, individualized approach to review. A new concept may first be introduced within the context of real-life experiences, which is a multi-sensory introduction that helps the child understand the new concept and why it is needed. Next you move into teaching the concept so the child can do the pencil & paper calculations. During this teaching period, you may practice the concept in life, with manipulatives, on a whiteboard, with pencil and paper, or with a variety of other ways. Once your child understands the concept and can do the calculation independently, you put the concept on the child's Review Chart with daily review, which starts the process of cementing the concept into the child's long-term memory. Notice there are two distinct phases: learning the concept and getting it into long-term memory.
The Math on the Level review system systematically reviews every concept the child has learned. Concepts start out on daily review, and gradually transition to less frequent review (eventually to every 1, 2, or 3 weeks). The child sees only five review problems per day. Although this is far fewer than the 20 to 30 short-term drill problem sets, it actually accomplishes more. Because the review is tailored to each child, practice happens where the child needs it and at a pace designed for the child. Over a 3-week period, every concept the child has ever learned will be practiced again, and this continues throughout the entire program. This individualized, review-over-time process keeps the child current with all of the math skills that have been learned.