What kind of training do the math specialists have?
Team members are brought into Made for Math very carefully. All math specialists must have teaching and math backgrounds in order to work with students. Prospective teachers must demonstrate their teaching through video submission and interviews and go through a rigorous, multi-step hiring process.
Their preparation includes Structured Math Training, which covers:
- Numeracy and effective instruction
- Learning differences and their impact on math
- The CRA framework (Concrete–Representational–Abstract)
- Subitizing
- Math language and vocabulary
- Word problem instruction
In addition, new teachers complete a job shadowing and student-teaching process, which includes:
- Observing trainer-led sessions
- Preparing sessions with trainer guidance
- Teaching sessions under trainer observation, followed by feedback
Teachers also receive assessment and data training, along with ongoing coaching. New teachers get weekly feedback from a trainer, focused on strong CRA instruction, effective teaching practices, and careful individualization for each student.
Our work is grounded in the Science of Learning and built on a systematic, explicit instructional model designed to reduce cognitive overload and build deep conceptual understanding so that all students are given the opportunity to thrive.
We draw from leading researchers such as Dr. Sarah Powell, Dr. David Geary, and Dr. Brian Poncy (to name just a few). Our work is deeply rooted in research, and we are committed to staying aligned with best practices that support students with complex learning profiles—not just those in the middle of the bell curve.
We also draw from the work of experienced dyscalculia practitioners like Dr. Steve Chinn, Marilyn Zecher, and Dr. Schreuder, whose applied expertise helps bridge the gap between research and real-world instruction.
This approach is systematic, explicit, hands-on, and structured to help children who have never understood math before finally find numerical success!