Bedtime Math

Bedtime Math is a non-profit organization focused on mathematics education for young children, launched by Laura Overdeck in February 2012.[1]

Bedtime Math
TypeNon-governmental, non-profit organization
PurposeEducational
Location
Official language
English
Founder and president
Laura Overdeck
Chief operating officer and director of research
Sara Thom
Sandy LoPiccolo
Chief strategy officer
Diana Pecina
Websitebedtimemathfoundation.org

History

Bedtime Math was founded in February 2012, initially as a website. In March 2014, Bedtime Math launched Crazy 8s, a free nationwide after-school recreational math club.[2]

In 2018, researchers at Johns Hopkins University released results of a study that found its Crazy 8s math club significantly reduced children's feelings of math anxiety after eight weeks of participation.[3] The effect was more pronounced among students in the kindergarten through second grade club.[4][5]

In 2019, Bedtime Math created Fun Factor, a new K-5 curriculum developed in consultation with Teachers College, Columbia University. It features dynamic math activities that aligns with standards and address key concepts, paired with teacher professional development.[6]

Products
  • Nightly math problem: Bedtime Math's core offering is daily math problems for elementary school-age kids, broadcast by email and posted daily on the website's homepage and Facebook page.[7]
  • Apps: The organization delivers the same daily riddles via a free mobile application for Android and iPhone OS.[8]
  • Books: Overdeck has also published four children's books (100% of her book royalties are donated toward Bedtime Math's programming).[9]
    • Bedtime Math: A Fun Excuse to Stay up Late (Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, June 2013)
    • Bedtime Math: This Time It's Personal (Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, March 2014)
    • Bedtime Math: The Truth Comes Out (Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, March 2015)
    • How Many Guinea Pigs Can Fit on a Plane? (Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, June 2016)
  • Crazy 8s after-school math club: The free program provides a free kit of materials to help host eight sessions of a weekly math club.[10][11] As of 2019, there were 10,000 schools and libraries across the country who have participated.[12]
  • Fun Factor in-school offering: In contrast to Crazy 8s, Fun Factor activities are standards-aligned for grades K-5 and geared towards small-group differentiated instruction.[13]
  • Summer of Numbers: A summer math incentive program for libraries, in which kids track their daily math using gold star stickers on a calendar. The program, once offered through the Collaborative Summer Library Program, is now exclusively offered by Bedtime Math.
  • Videos: For Math Awareness Month in April 2013, Bedtime Math produced four short math comedies.

Reception

Bedtime Math has been featured in The New York Times parenting blog, USA Today, and National Public Radio (NPR); its books have been featured on NPR's Science Friday and reviewed in The Wall Street Journal.[14] Time described it as "heartening news for educators who bemoan the state of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education in the U.S."[15]

In 2015, an article in the journal Science reported on a randomized trial that found use of the Bedtime Math iPad app improved performance of first-graders in math at school, especially among parents how had high math anxiety.[16][17][18] In 2018, the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General published new findings that showed the gains in math achievement of children who used the Bedtime Math app persisted through the end of third grade, even if they decreased or stopped using the app.

It was named one of the best online learning math apps for kids by The New York Times,[19] and one of the few outstanding apps in early STEM learning for children by the Brookings Institution.[20][21][22][23]

References
  1. "Nonprofit (Summit): Bedtime Math Foundation". Action Without Borders. Retrieved 8 October 2013.
  2. Overdeck, Laura (2014). "A Secret Ingredient for Improving Math Proficiency". Stanford Social Innovation Review. Retrieved 4 June 2014.
  3. Hinton, Marva. "New Study Provides Possible Solution to Reducing Math Anxiety". Education Week - Early Years. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
  4. "Laura Overdeck, Math Education Reformer and Philanthropist, to Speak at Stevens 147th Commencement". Stevens Institute of Technology. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  5. "Measuring the Effects of an Extra-Curricular Math Experience on Children's Math Attitudes" (PDF). Retrieved 5 November 2019.
  6. "Bedtime Math Links With Wildwood School District to Launch K-5 Math Program". Cape May County Herald. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  7. Dell'Antonia, K.J. (2012). "Goodnight Moon, Goodnight Math Problem". The New York Times. Retrieved 4 June 2014.
  8. Rochman, Bonnie (February 25, 2013). "Beyond Counting Sheep: Why math is the hot new bedtime reading". Time. Archived from the original on August 9, 2021.
  9. "Bedtime Math Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)". Bedtime Math. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
  10. Kuperinsky, Amy (March 13, 2014). "NJ mother's 'Bedtime Math' aims to solve number anxiety for children". New Jersey Star-Ledger. Retrieved 4 June 2014.
  11. "Bedtime Math: Crazy 8s Club by Laura Overdeck and Sandy LoPiccolo". talkSTEM. 2015-11-01. Retrieved 2023-01-23.
  12. Stringer, Kate. "Toilet Paper, Glow Sticks, and Multiplication: Study Shows How One Free After-School Club Can Help Reduce Math Anxiety". Retrieved 5 November 2019.
  13. "Fun Factor Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)". Bedtime Math. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
  14. Bratburd, Rebecca (March 18, 2014). "Glow-in-the-Dark Party Brings Math to Light". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 4 June 2014.
  15. Rochman, Bonnie (November 21, 2012). "Bedtime Math: A Problem a Day Keeps Fear of Arithmetic Away". Time. Retrieved 21 November 2012.
  16. Berkowitz, T.; Schaeffer, M. W.; Maloney, E. A.; Peterson, L.; Gregor, C.; Levine, S. C.; Beilock, S. L. (2015). "Math at home adds up to achievement in school". Science. 350 (6257): 196–8. doi:10.1126/science.aac7427. PMID 26450209.
  17. Berkowitz, T; Schaeffer, M. W.; Rozek, C. S.; Maloney, E. A.; Levine, S. C.; Beilock, S. L. (2016). "Response to Comment on 'Math at home adds up to achievement in school'". Science. 351 (6278): 1161. doi:10.1126/science.aad8555. PMID 26965620.
  18. Frank, M. C. (2016). "Comment on 'Math at home adds up to achievement in school'". Science. 351 (6278): 1161.2–1161. doi:10.1126/science.aad8008. PMID 26965619.
  19. "Some of the Best Online Learning Games for Kids". Wirecutter. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  20. "Looking for an educational life raft? Apps may not be the answer". Brookings Institution. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
  21. "PsycNET". psycnet.apa.org. Retrieved 4 November 2019.
  22. Sparks, Sarah D. "Breaking the Link Between Parents' Math Anxiety and Students' Progress". Education Week - Inside School Research. Retrieved 4 November 2019.
  23. "How To Make Sure Your Math Anxiety Doesn't Make Your Kids Hate Math". NPR.org. Retrieved 4 November 2019.
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