The televised MathFLIX is a challenging interactive math show that has engaged tens of thousands of students during its nineteen years on cable access television in Chicago. Capitalizing on the one-on-one relationship a student viewer has with television, MathFLIX makes math “work”. Each Thursday evening at 7 p.m. during the school year, the MathFLIX TV show introduces a different math concept through direct instruction and reinforces each lesson with literature, manipulatives, activities and related computer instruction. Student viewers are encouraged to call a televised phone number to participate in the show by responding to challenges presented by the on-air educators. During a typical season, MathFLIX provides 30 hours of quality math instruction after school hours and connects personally with 460 student callers from 110 different schools.
The MathFLIX web site is a compilation of 4-7 minute math movies edited from the hour-long MathFLIX TV shows. Hundreds of these instructional MathFLIX math movies are organized on the web site according to content standards established by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics to facilitate ease of teachers´ use. These instructional videos are also cross-referenced in an alpha index so students and parents can access math support by specific topic. The MathFLIX web site is frequently updated with additional movies as TV shows are produced covering expanded content.
The MathFLIX TV show was developed by Dr. Diane Schiller through Loyola University´s School of Education and maintains its dedicated broadcast schedule through grant funding. The MathFLIX team of on-air educators often includes middle school math teachers, university colleagues, graduate students and doctoral candidates with a focus in mathematics. The MathFLIX TV show is not broadcast during the months of June, July and August.
The MathFLIX web site evolved in response to emerging technologies and the desire to maximize the effectiveness and impact of the weekly broadcasts. The web site will continue to expand its rich math content and harness new technologies as they become available.