One of the key areas any parent is concerned with once they have a child is their education. Socially, we have accepted that a well educated and raised child is such a fundamental component of a well functioning and thriving society.
It is the cornerstone of any budget, political platform, or societal reform; education is legislated, and enforced, and the cultural understanding of the youngest generation's instruction is so that the idiom, “it takes a village to raise a child” is universally understood..
The developing brain is the most susceptible to changes and learning, and because of this, most education is focused on children, with the knowledge that this time period in a human's life is vital to a fulfilling and enriched existence for the rest of one's years. Children are typically in school for nine to ten months of the year, with a summer break that was traditionally introduced because the hot weather did not allow for a productive learning environment.
As our understanding of the brain, and scientific research is growing and advancing far beyond our traditional perception of learning, this two month break is being pointed to as a major stumbling block in children's education.
Brain drain is the name for a loss of learning, forgetting core skills and lessons from throughout the school year. During the summer break, research has indicated that one to three months worth of math and reading knowledge is lost by children.
The concept of brain drain is familiar to all parents concerned with their child's success, and it is with this concern that Brain Chase has involved itself with a fun and educational learning adventure for a child's downtime during their summer break.
Who Is Brain Chase?
The aforementioned concern with summer learning loss is what got Heather and Allan Staker involved in Brain Chase in 2013, based in Austin, Texas. Heather Staker is a research fellow at Clayton Christensen Institute for Disruptive Learning, and has written a book on innovative learning techniques, while her husband Allan is an accomplished professional in the entertainment industry, each a graduate of Harvard University.
Together they are parents to five children, and very aware of the effects of an extended summer vacation, and the tendency of children to focus entirely on play without any real educational outlet.
Together the Stakers raised $500,000 from investors and introduced Brain Chase in 2014. Brain Chase has partnered with several highly regarded names in the technology and entertainment industries, including:
- Powerhouse Animation, an Austin based animation studio is responsible for bringing Brain Chase through their animation
- Sisu Devices, highly skilled and reputable manufacturer of robots and sensors
- The Human Robot Collective, production company of animation writers
In addition to this collective of production staff, Brain Chase has partnered with tech giants:
- Rosetta Stone, creators of the innovative language learning website and program that is used by over 21,000 companies and organizations
- Khan Academy, the well regarded and groundbreaking free online school that offers programs, exercises, and lectures across a vast array of subjects
- myON, which provides elementary school aged and learning level children with access to thousands of books and publications
Throughout the Brain Chase program, children are tasked with completing an activity through one of those collaborators, and the associated fee for their partners are waived as part of Brain Chase.
The enthusiasm and excitement for what Brain Chase is offering has made huge waves, and it has been covered and documented by publications that include:
Budstikka, Huffpost, Inc., Deseret News, cool mom tech, Fox News, the Gwinnett Citizen, KSL, NBC, Red Tricycle, Tech Age Kids, Examiner, Bay Area Parent, uexpress, edSurge, OregonLive, and many, many more. The obvious impact of the potential of Brain Chase as a trailblazer in a new age of education made possible by current technology has found it to be a subject of intense study across many areas of expertise and interest.
How Does Brain Chase Work?
One of the main hurdles in educating children is keeping their attention and stimulating them to embrace their lessons. I guarantee that anyone reading this, including myself, has regrets of not paying enough attention in school and learning what vital lessons were on offer, and likewise, we all have memories of the incredibly boring methods in which they were conveyed.
There is a reason summer break is such a universally longed for time, an interruption of the monotonous lessons of the year. Brain Chase aims to keep with this spirit of fun and adventure while also providing children with the opportunity to retain knowledge, and further their learning at the same time.
Brain Chase is a five week online program dedicated to making learning a fun activity, accessible at home, and is directed towards children between second and eighth grade.
There are numerous after school and summer school programs directed towards children in these off months, but Brain Chase is taking advantage of the technological advancement that allows education to happen in the home, at the learner's own pace, with parents to help set the tempo and breadth.
Personalized learning is the core focus of Brain Chase, and there are options for students to be enrolled in English as a Second Language courses, which focus on Foreign Language, Reading, and Writing.
The Literacy program is designed to help students with their reading and writing, and includes the Brain Chase Book Club, Writing, and Reading electives. For sciences and math, the STEM program involves Math, Engineering, and Coding or Typing. For more advanced students, the Gifted & Talented program focuses on Engineering, Book Club, and Writing or Art.
The highly personalized programs allow the student and their parents to focus on areas that require some attention, and allow children to move at their own pace.
With an interactive, computer based program, students can choose the order of their electives and when they will complete them, more of these electives include, Language, Cooking, Yoga, and some bonus courses.
Once a course is selected and personalized, learning is done through the computer dashboard, and is accompanied by animations and interactive activities, including real world items that are mailed to the student.
The student will complete challenges and puzzles, and throughout the course, the student is tasked with deciphering clues for a chance at a paid trip to an exotic location to try to find the real life buried treasure, which includes a $10,000 scholarship.
Brain Chase is crossing the gap between the entertaining, adventure based learning style that children enjoy and thrive on, with the oft cited desire for a chance for students to keep up with their education throughout their summer months. Courses are very affordable, and relative to other afterschool and summer programs, incredibly cost effective.
Brain Chase is being hailed as the trailblazer for a new generation of learning, but while many more competing programs are surely on their way, Brain Chase is setting the new pace for education.
