--- title: Try a Visual Approach to Math for Global Math Week description: "You're invited to join the global movement to bring a uplifting math experience to your students for Global Math Week, October 10-17. Try two different visual math lessons: exploding dots or ST Math!" image: https://2024.mindresearch.org/hubfs/Blog/Images/ST%20Math%20games%20blog.png --- [![](https://2024.mindresearch.org/hs-fs/hubfs/MIND-logo-2018.jpg?width=1701&height=623&name=MIND-logo-2018.jpg)](http://www.mindresearch.org/) [![mind logo](https://2024.mindresearch.org/hubfs/graphics/logos/MIND-logos-color2.svg)](https://www.mindeducation.org/) [![mind white logo](https://2024.mindresearch.org/hubfs/graphics/logos/MIND-logos-white2.svg)](https://www.mindeducation.org/) - [Our Approach](https://2024.mindresearch.org/our-approach) - [Why MIND?](https://2024.mindresearch.org/why-math-education) - [Our Research](https://2024.mindresearch.org/our-research) - [Our Patents](https://2024.mindresearch.org/patents) - [Our Impact](https://2024.mindresearch.org/impact) - [Our Partners](https://2024.mindresearch.org/partners) - [Partner Stories](https://2024.mindresearch.org/partner-stories) - Our Programs - [ST Math](http://www.stmath.com/) - [InsightMath](http://www.insightmath.com/) - [MathMINDs](https://www.mindresearch.org/mathminds) - [Life at MIND](https://2024.mindresearch.org/careers) - Resources - [Blog](https://2024.mindresearch.org/blog) - [Math Discourse](https://2024.mindresearch.org/puzzletalks) - [Podcast](https://2024.mindresearch.org/edtech-podcast) - [News](https://2024.mindresearch.org/news) - [Activities](https://2024.mindresearch.org/stem-resources) - [Donate](https://store.mindresearch.org/pages/donate) **Student privacy****:** learn more about our commitment to keeping students safe [Read More](https://www.mindresearch.org/privacy-policy) ![MIND-on-Math_Blog-Header-5](https://2024.mindresearch.org/hs-fs/hubfs/graphics/headers/_blog-headers/MIND-on-Math_Blog-Header-5.png?width=2000&height=667&name=MIND-on-Math_Blog-Header-5.png "MIND-on-Math_Blog-Header-5") Category Community Teaching & Learning Technology & Games Research & Outcomes Neuroscience Celebrations & Successes [![Subscribe](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/237516/a35fb57d-2960-4554-a0f3-e7bb5946fc70.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/237516/a35fb57d-2960-4554-a0f3-e7bb5946fc70) [Technology & Games](https://2024.mindresearch.org/blog/topic/technology-games) # Try a Visual Approach to Math for Global Math Week By [Calli Wright](https://2024.mindresearch.org/blog/author/calli-wright) - - - - - [mailto:?subject=Try%20a%20Visual%20Approach%20to%20Math%20for%20Global%20Math%20Week&body=Try%20a%20Visual%20Approach%20to%20Math%20for%20Global%20Math%20Week%20https://2024.mindresearch.org/blog/global-math-week-lessons](mailto:?subject=Try%20a%20Visual%20Approach%20to%20Math%20for%20Global%20Math%20Week&body=Try%20a%20Visual%20Approach%20to%20Math%20for%20Global%20Math%20Week%20https://2024.mindresearch.org/blog/global-math-week-lessons) - You’re invited to join the movement that is connecting students and educators across the globe. Global Math Week, a great opportunity to experience uplifting mathematics, is this October 10th through 17th. Global Math Week is organized by [Global Math Project](https://www.globalmathproject.org/), a global community of mathematics teachers and supporters who want all learners across the globe to experience joy and wonder in school-relevant mathematics. ![gmp-facebook-main](https://2024.mindresearch.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog/Images/gmp-facebook-main.png?width=1201&name=gmp-facebook-main.png) Global Math Project is hoping to reach 10 million teachers and students this year! How can you get involved? Here are different ways you can bring a new math experience into your classroom. ## 1. Exploding Dots What’s interesting about the exploding dots lesson is that what starts as an activity to develop conceptual understanding of place value scaffolds from double digit addition all the way to polynomial division. You can visually see the dots and the numbers they represent as you move them through the exploding dots machines. Plus, saying KAPOW! as the dots explode is just plain fun. And we don’t usually get enough of that in math class. > Many adults today learned a procedure for long division. But did we really understand what was happening mathematically? [@jamestanton](https://twitter.com/jamestanton?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) sharing [#explodingdots](https://twitter.com/hashtag/explodingdots?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) lesson [@globalmathproj](https://twitter.com/GlobalMathProj?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) [#GMW18](https://twitter.com/hashtag/GMW18?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) [pic.twitter.com/bicbuVliXy](https://t.co/bicbuVliXy) > > — MIND Research Institute (@MIND\_Research) [October 6, 2018](https://twitter.com/MIND_Research/status/1048619903446466560?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) Find lesson plans and an online version of the experiences at [explodingdots.org](https://www.explodingdots.org/).   2. ST Math Games   If exploding dots is too advanced for your students, or you did exploding dots with some students last year and want to try something new, there are other ways to engage your students during Global Math Week. As part of our partnership with Global Math Project, MIND Research Institute has now made more [ST Math games](https://www.stmath.com/games) available for free on our website. ST Math is a visual instructional program that builds a deep conceptual understanding of math through rigorous learning and creative problem solving to engage, motivate and challenge PreK-8 students toward higher achievement. Choose a game appropriate to your grade level and send out the web address to all students. Each game has 4-7 levels, so students can build on their knowledge as they progress. Each game starts out with a visual puzzle, and progresses by adding in symbolic notation or more difficult but scaffolded math concepts. Ask students to take a screenshot of the completion page when the complete the final level. [![visual-fractions-games](https://2024.mindresearch.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog/Images/visual-fractions-games.png?width=750&name=visual-fractions-games.png)](https://www.stmath.com/games) It’s okay when students get stuck. Productive struggle means students are actively learning. Check out the [facilitating questions poster](https://2024.mindresearch.org/hubfs/Blog/PDFs/stmath-facilitating-questions-poster.pdf) to see how to guide your students through the visual math games.   [![Play Games](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/237516/76837a86-a4ab-4d51-9a25-e62611b92349.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/237516/76837a86-a4ab-4d51-9a25-e62611b92349)   ## Share Your Global Math Week Experience What new mathematical experience did you try with your students? What was their reaction? What did you learn? Share your experience by tagging [@GlobalMathProj](https://twitter.com/globalmathproj)and [@STMath](https://twitter.com/stmath) and join the movement around the globe! ![Calli Wright](https://2024.mindresearch.org/hubfs/Blog/Authors/calli-wright-board-games.jpg) ### About the Author Calli Wright was the Marketing Manager at MIND Research Institute. She loves playing and designing board games, which she often talks about on twitter [@CalliWrights](https://twitter.com/CalliWrights). ### Comment #### [Educator Perspectives: A Math Class Structure that Fosters Conceptual Learning](https://2024.mindresearch.org/blog/math-class-structure-conceptual-learning) [Who is JiJi? 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