The future of education starts today with your child. In today’s rapidly evolving world, traditional schooling often fails to nurture individual talents and critical thinking skills. Parents are increasingly seeking supplemental enrichment opportunities that extend beyond the four walls of the classroom. Mark Twain perfectly said, “I have never let my schooling interfere with my … Continue Reading
Have you ever wondered why failure is good? Throughout history, humanity has encountered setbacks in nearly every aspect of life, providing invaluable lessons for growth. Embedded in our nature is an innate drive to overcome challenges and find solutions. However, finding effective solutions often begins with a series of failures. Fortunately, contemporary science confirms the … Continue Reading
Have you ever been asked for homework help and or offered to help someone with theirs? Most parents worldwide have been on both sides of this situation. In a thought-provoking article published in The New York Times titled “But I Want to Do Your Homework,” Judith Newman shares her experience of overediting her 12-year-old son’s … Continue Reading
IMACS parent and world-renowned college counseling expert, certified educational planner, and author of several books on such topics, Mandee Heller Adler, took the time to visit our corporate office and to write the following testimonial to express her gratitude for the role IMACS played in her daughter’s life. As my oldest daughter, Rebecca, heads to … Continue Reading
The benefits of math competitions are well known: focusing on goals, dealing with pressure, learning teamwork, and building friendships are among those typically mentioned. Math competitions also allow for the much needed celebration of intellectual achievement the way athletic achievement has always been celebrated. At IMACS, many of our math enrichment students enjoy competing in … Continue Reading
Can you link all nine dots using four or fewer straight lines, without lifting your finger and without tracing the same line more than once? We all understand what is meant when a person exclaims, “That’s so creative!” This is a typical reaction to a new and often pleasing, useful or clever idea. It might … Continue Reading
Empowering your gifted child with effective study habits early on is not just advantageous, it’s crucial for their long-term academic success. Many parents may underestimate the importance of instilling these habits before college, assuming that stellar grades in challenging coursework are sufficient preparation for university-level rigor. However, relying solely on inherent intelligence without fostering disciplined … Continue Reading
Why did the math riddle cross the road? Like Mac and Cheese or an ice cream cone on a hot summer’s day, silly riddles are an essential comfort of a joyful childhood. No matter how corny a riddle is, it is pure magic to hear a child shriek with laughter at the goofy wordplay and … Continue Reading
Keep math exciting, and your kids will keep doing math. Hello, logic puzzles! Logic puzzles for kids are a great way to pique your child’s interest in mathematics since logic and math go hand-in-hand. Any time kids are engrossed in tricky brain teasers, they’re building the skills they’ll eventually use to ace the SAT, lead … Continue Reading
The IMACS Blog reconnects with alumnus Mark Engelberg who has released three coding games through ThinkFun. Mark’s passion for computer science, math and logic led him to an award-winning career in puzzle and game design. He is also an active speaker in the Clojure programming language community. In this post, Mark talks with IMACS about … Continue Reading
There was a time when the ability to faithfully recall information was a strong determinant of success. Now we have highly-sophisticated search engines and revolutionary chatbots that speak answers to your spoken questions. What you know and think is no longer the definitive measure of being smart. What matters now and in the future is … Continue Reading
As parents we instinctively want to help our children when they struggle. Our impulse is often to just fix the problem ourselves. While this approach makes sense when children are very young, as they grow it becomes counterproductive. In rescuing our kids, we provide a quick fix but deny them opportunities to practice important skills … Continue Reading
When fewer than 1% of 2014 college-bound high school seniors attain a perfect 800 on the math section of the SAT, you know that you’ve met someone special when he’s achieved that amazing feat before even cracking the teen years. That someone is Shiva Oswal, a precocious 11-year-old from Northern California who recently earned that … Continue Reading
The Real Problem with Algebra in Schools boils down to one question, “Should all students across America be required to take Algebra to continue their studies?” In an op-ed for The New York Times titled “Is Algebra Necessary?”Andrew Hacker, an emeritus professor of political science at Queens College, City University of New York, ignited a … Continue Reading
IMACS chats with Thomas Rutkowski, Assistant Professor in the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine. Prof. Rutkowski received his Ph.D. in cell biology from UC San Francisco and his B.S. in biotechnology with a minor in chemistry from the University of Delaware. He completed his post-doctoral … Continue Reading