Magrid

About the Project

This project is one of the 2022 WISE Awards finalists. 

 

Context and Issue 

40% of the world’s population doesn’t have access to education in a language they understand (UNESCO). Furthermore, 15% of children have a language disorder and 5% are deaf or hearing impaired. This language barrier also affects learning not directly related to language such as math, leading to a lack of good math skills and numeracy development. As a result, over 320 million children around the world have an educational disadvantage, which has a lasting impact on learning and participation into adulthood (UNESCO).

 

Solution and Impact

Through our early childhood development research at the University of Luxembourg, we noted that removing the cognitive load of language as a barrier in foundational math learning led to a significant improvement in math proficiency in children both familiar and unfamiliar with the language of instruction and also SEN children.

Thus Magrid was born. Magrid is a 100% visual-based and language-free pedagogical program to significantly improve the development of early visual-spatial, cognitive and mathematical abilities for 3-9-year-olds, including those with special education needs. Magrid is curriculum aligned and designed to help teachers improve learning outcomes while decreasing teacher workload.

The research on Magrid began in 2014 and continues today. To date, 6 scientific studies conducted in +30 schools in Luxembourg, Germany, and France, with over +1,000 students across various learning profiles have demonstrated a significant improvement in math proficiency after using Magrid. 

In practice, Magrid has been implemented in all public schools in Luxembourg with over 10,000 children across various learning profiles using Magrid as part of the math curriculum. 

 

Future Developments 

Current – A full digitization effort to eliminate paper based handbooks is currently underway alongside enhanced teacher dashboarding for progress and learning outcomes tracking and monitoring.

Future – Building adaptive technology for individualized learning and AI implementation for further improving learning outcomes.

 

May 19, 2022 (last update 09-15-2022)