Abstract:

“Use it or lose it!” usually refers to physical skills and abilities that grow rusty if not practiced for long periods of time. However, cognitive skills can also fade or even be completely forgotten if they are not practiced regularly. This means that lengthy periods of time off from school, although refreshing, can cause students to lose ground unless they spend some time rehearsing things that they have learned during this time. This is especially true for mathematics which builds on prior knowledge and skill retention. The Keep in School Shape (KiSS) Program is a mobile, engaging, and cost-effective way to help students stay fresh on pre-requisite mathematical skills over academic breaks. Instead of requiring the development of new technology as an “innovation,” the KiSS Program is a renovation, e.g., a “re-innovation,” because it repurposes existing technology, namely online survey software, to deliver the daily activities to students. These activities include different levels of problems, hints, step-by-step solutions, and flashcards, together with empowering feedback messages that encourage a growth mindset. This paper describes the construction of the KiSS Program, its evolution and growth over time, and presents select results from a recent implementation of the KiSS Program at a large southwestern university to bridge courses in an introductory mathematics course sequence. Findings indicate that, using this program, students will review things that they have learned during times when school is not in session, and that their behavior is generally consistent with a growth mindset.

Keywords:

Educational technology, growth mindset, learning loss.