Our Program

Our schools need a better way of teaching math.  Top Banana Education has the solution.

We don’t just teach students math —

• we teach them how to learn
• we teach them how to make complicated problems simple
• we teach them how to approach information and problem-solving in a structured and systematic way.

In other words, we help students develop the essential skills they can apply not just to learning math, but to learning anything they want to learn.

Why do we focus on math to learn these skills?

For most people, the idea of doing math means doing some series of calculations to find the right answer.  But the truth is that calculating the answer is the last step in a systematic process that includes observing, organizing and analyzing information, and then finding and validating the results.  The key to learning math is to learn a structured approach to managing and manipulating information.

Math provides the foundation for every academic program.  Math is where students can learn:

• to be observant, for instance, searching for patterns
• to be accurate, since there are definite right and wrong answers
• to be organized in their approach to managing information
• to be agile or flexible in trying to find the best path to a solution
• to be logical and make reasonable decisions
• to be analytical and understand how to divide a problem into its basic elements and principles. 

In teaching math, Top Banana Education Foundation teaches students to be smart, efficient, self-learners.

How do we do this?

Top Banana has developed a curriculum and a method of instruction that is uniquely suited to achieving these goals.  Our after-school programs have proven effective with many children, and our hope is to bring this academic success to students on a broader scale, by making it the program of choice in schools across the country.

To demonstrate the value of the Top Banana Education program, we are initially offering the program at no cost to select schools that would like to serve as a pilot program.  We will provide:

• a comprehensive math curriculum for grades 1 through 5
• professional development and training (as well as financial support by way of a stipend) for staff teaching the Top Banana curriculum 
• all necessary materials for implementing the curriculum
• on-going assistance and guidance

What makes the Top Banana Educational Program uniquely successful?

The Top Banana Educational Program differs from other math programs in several significant ways.

1. The curriculum is based on the idea that we should teach math not as a series of calculations, but as a way of thinking.
   Our focus is on an incremental approach where each new idea builds on the one before.  It provides a structure for thinking and learning.  We help our students first develop a number sense, then a symbol sense, then develop their ability to think logically, to analyze and reason, to recognize patterns, to classify facts and observations, and ultimately to draw conclusions and make decisions based on a rational, systematic assessment of the information.  In other words, our program teaches students how to "connect the dots."  This approach gives students the ability to take what they know and use it to learn more, because they now have a structure for doing that.  This approach is about growing smart learners.
2. The program resembles a fast-track evolution of mathematical thought, taking a student from counting, to addition/subtraction, to multiplication/division, to fractions, to decimals, etc.
   As students understand the evolution of one mathematical concept to another, they learn how to leverage their current knowledge in order to make sense of concepts that are new to them.  This evolutionary approach provides the framework for turning information into knowledge.  A student doesn't necessarily need to learn a lot to know a lot.
3. Our curriculum is integral.
   It has a multi-year, multi-grade design, allowing us to present each phase and topic so that it builds on the ones that came before and lays the foundation for the ones that follow.
4. The curriculum is carefully sequenced so that it can build on itself.
   The program is designed so that each new element is worked on in isolation before being integrated into a larger structure.  This allows students to focus on fully understanding that new element without having to juggle several new "unknowns" at once—a situation that is often a major source of anxiety and frustration for a student, which in turn makes learning even harder.  By making learning easier, we make it fun.  By making it fun, students want to learn more.
5. The program appeals to different learning styles.
   Unlike other math programs, the Top Banana program recognizes and supports different styles of learning and retaining information.  The way students process information through auditory, visual, spatial and even chronological means are all recognized and incorporated into our approach.
6. Most importantly: our program has been proven to work.
   The best evidence of the success of our program has come from our students and their parents.

What is the value of the Top Banana Educational program?

Everybody wins with the Top Banana math program.

Students win when they learn that math doesn’t have to be hard and it doesn’t have to be stressful, but that they can do it once they have the right tools.  They enjoy math more, as they learn to do it well and with ease.  They develop valuable skills that they can use every day, in every subject.  Their confidence improves, their grades improve, and their attitude about school overall improves.

Parents win as they see their children becoming proficient and efficient self-learners.

Teachers win as they build their teaching skills and enhance their own credentials.  For teachers who are not trained specifically in teaching math, our program gives them training and offers them guidance for every step in the process.  Teachers also win just by having students who are enjoying class more.

Administrators win with improved results in student performance and test scores in math and other subjects.

Society wins when we create better learners and better-informed citizens.