Pear Practice Multiplies Student Success for This New Jersey Math Teacher
The problem
The solution
Leveraging the advanced technology of Pear Practice to make education so fun, students almost forget they’re learning.
What is Pear Practice? It’s a gamified practice tool built on learning science and education research that uses elements of gaming, including achievements and points, to engage students, encourage collaboration, and drive student learning.
The story
Gerilyn Williams is a 7th-grade math teacher in the Pinelands Regional School District, a rural district in Ocean County, New Jersey. Like many educators, Gerilyn is always looking for ways to help keep her students engaged and drive student learning. But that can be hard, especially when trying to capture the attention of teenagers who aren’t exactly in love with numbers.
That’s when she discovered Pear Practice.
The date was October of 2022. Gerilyn gained early access to Pear Practice as a prototype tester. While using this innovative, gamified platform, Gerilyn turned practice into play for her students; soon after, she discovered how engaged they were with their lessons.
What does it mean to turn practice into play?
To put it simply, students don’t have to feel the pressure of getting questions right under quiz or test settings.
Rather, they can practice specific types of problems (like two-step pre-algebra equations, for example) in a fun, low-stakes environment. By receiving points and unlocking achievements for successful completion of problems, students simultaneously get the practice needed for success, as well as gain much-needed confidence to conquer their lessons.
Test time
After immediately seeing her students enjoying using Pear Practice, Gerilyn really put the platform to the test, conducting 124 Live Practice sessions across the span of 29 weeks.
Why Live Practice?
A rewarding experience
“One thing I really, really liked is [Pear Practice] encouraged math talk…They really had this desire to explain how they were getting their answers, or why they chose this answer, or their reasoning behind their answer choices.”
A personalized teaching approach using real-time feedback
After Gerilyn’s students answered a question in Pear Practice, their aggregated responses and scores would appear on her screen; after seeing that data, Gerilyn would spring into action, pausing the session to personalize the learning experience based on how her students were responding to questions. “I was always stopping for teachable moments…and letting the students guide the discussion,” Gerilyn stated.
Taking their time
In addition to Live Practice sessions, 98% of Gerilyn’s students practiced on their own, at their own pace. This consisted of specific assignments, previously practiced items, and reattempts to answer previously incorrect questions.
Helpful to the core
Accessing pre-made, standards-aligned items and practice sets, Gerilyn’s students also completed content that covered 22 Common Core standards.
The final grade
“Pear Practice is absolutely making an impact and affecting the success I’m seeing in my classroom.” That was Gerilyn’s response when asked how Pear Practice is impacting her students. Simply put, her students were able to reinforce their learning and master material by taking their time and — dare we say? — having fun, too.
A passionate teacher + learning science = success. That’s the kind of math anyone can get behind.
