Every batch of students, be it in kindergarten or all the way up to High School, has a tiny handful of students that really take to Math and enjoy it. Some even find it easy enough to breeze through. On the other hand, the remaining bulk of every classroom resents the mere thought of it and just wishes it had never existed in the first place. Chances are, this could remind you of yourself.
Well, as we realize by the time we’re in our late teens and early adulthood, there is absolutely no replacement for Math. It is the foundation of practically every minutely scientific course of life and work. And as we grudgingly acknowledge after going through the horrors of it all, we’d be nowhere close to what we are today had we cut those classes back in the day.
So as it stands, students really have no choice but to put our hearts and souls into the study of Math, no matter how taxing. But is there a way that we can make things just a tiny bit more digestible for the newer generations? Well, Wizen World seems to think so.
Launched just over half a year ago, Wizen World is a startup focused on helping kids learn Math in a far more palatable and enjoyable manner. And their seeming strategy on this front is pretty straightforward; take the one thing that most kids despise, but is extremely crucial to their mental development, and combine it with what they love the most – Videogames.
The result is a Role-Playing Game in which progression is made through utilization of the player’s Math skills, based on a selected level, which corresponds to a generalized academic curriculum. Currently, Wizen World offers algebra and arithmetic-based levels for students from the 3rd to the 8th grade, or in other words, approximately ages 7-13 in a single-player format, which they soon plan on expanding to multiplayer.
In order for teachers to keep a track of their students’ progression, there are virtual classrooms that can be managed by the teachers and programmed to send students (and the teacher) a report of their accomplishments based on their performance in the game. Videogames as homework? This is the kind of stuff we used to dream of as kids! Guess these kids have got it really comfy!
With a user base of 15,000 students and 3,000 teachers in over a 1000 schools all over the world in such a short period of time, Wizen World seems right on track to transforming the education system altogether. And as we know all too well, the education system in India is far from perfect; startups like Wizen World could provide just the fix it needs.
But of course, it would require schools, teachers and parents to have an open mind towards this form of education and implement it as a compliment to classroom education. It could work wonders and well, what’s there to lose? They’re probably going to play Videogames anyway!
