Five Things You May Not Know About The Math Learning Center

From its inception in 1976, this Salem, Oregon nonprofit has been committed to addressing the needs of classroom teachers and their students. Did you know…

1. The Math Learning Center (MLC) grew out of a project funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to improve the teaching of mathematics. Its founders (Dr. Eugene Maier, Don Rasmussen and David Raskin) spent several years traveling to schools to observe classrooms and visit with teachers and students.
2. A few years later a convincing body of research emerged suggesting visual approaches to teaching and learning have universal validity. After experimenting with a variety of applications to math education and with additional NSF funding, MLC refined their curriculum into an integrated system of visual models that build across the grade levels.
3. MLC has since expanded its offerings to include a full range of products and support services that focus on developing in students a deep understanding of math concepts, proficiency with key skills and the ability to solve new and complex problems. Today, MLC’s elementary math programs are used in over 25,000 classrooms across the United States and in a dozen international locations.
4. In 2012 MLC launched its first free math app and over the last five years the collection has grown to nine apps. Earlier this year total downloads of these apps from the iTunes store exceeded 2,000,000.
5. In addition to free apps, MLC’s commitment to giving back to the education community includes materials grants, a program for universities, math education scholarships, and over 200 free lessons and activities on their website.

Cascade is pleased to feature The Math Learning Center, an employer dedicated to inspiring and enabling individuals to discover and develop their mathematical confidence and ability.