Students forget math when we skip what they already know. Research shows learning builds on prior experience, not just instruction. Effective math teaching strategies start by surfacing what students think, revealing misconceptions, and connecting new ideas to what already makes sense. That is why every Empower All Math Minds lesson begins before the game.

Every child is already doing math, whether they know it or not. They split cookies fairly, negotiate bedtime, and sort toys by size. Growth mindset math means seeing that brilliance and building on it. The problem was never the kids. It is the way we replaced curiosity with correctness and play with pressure to perform.