Educational Competition Preparation (New Version)

Math Competition Preparation

Benefits of Educational Competitions

Strengthening Academic Self-Concept:

Confidence Boost: Competing and performing well can significantly enhance a student’s belief in their academic abilities and self-worth.

Facilitating Growth Mindsets:

Embracing Challenges: Competitions encourage students to view challenges as opportunities for growth and learning, rather than as obstacles.

Building Mental Toughness:

Resilience: Facing competition helps students develop resilience and the ability to cope with stress and setbacks, which is crucial for long-term success.

Developing Agency:

Self-Efficacy: Students gain a sense of control over their learning and actions, increasing their motivation and drive to succeed.

Improving Risk Analysis:

Decision-Making: Competing requires students to analyze risks and make strategic decisions, honing their critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

Enhancing Beneficial Peer Comparisons:

Healthy Competition: Comparing oneself to peers in a constructive environment helps students set goals, measure their progress, and strive for improvement.

Educational competitions not only challenge students academically but also contribute to their overall personal development and readiness for future challenges. If you’re considering involving your child in competitions, it can be a valuable addition to their educational experience.

Our Preparation Courses

We will prepare students and facilitate entry into the following contests:

Caribou Contests (Grades 3-12)
Mathematica (Grades 3-12)
CEMC (University of Waterloo) (Grades 3-12)
Vancouver Writers’ Fest (Grades 8-12)

Our Method

At Aspire Learning Academy, we use math contests and competitions to prepare students for formal testing environments.

Key Aspects of Our Approach:

Timed Practice: Students gain experience working under timed conditions, helping them build confidence and become accustomed to the pressures of formal exams.

Skill Development:

Question Understanding: Learn to read and comprehend questions effectively.
Answer Planning: Develop strategies for planning and structuring answers.
Show Work: Emphasize the importance of showing work and avoiding omissions.
Proofreading: Practice reviewing and double-checking answers to reduce errors.

Feedback and Debriefing: Contests provide valuable feedback, allowing students to practice and refine their examination skills, which helps to prevent loss of marks due to overlooked details or incomplete answers.

By engaging in these activities, students enter important examinations with increased assurance and preparedness, having already navigated the demands of timed testing.

About The Competitions

CARIBOU CONTEST

The Caribou Mathematics Competition is a world wide online contest that is held six times throughout the school year. Each of these days, six contests are offered, one for each of the grade levels 2, 3/4, 5/6, 7/8, 9/10 and 11/12. Each student’s ranking in the Caribou Cup is determined by their performance in their best 5 of 6 contests through the school year.

MATHEMATICA

UNESCO declared that learning mathematics through problem resolution activities was the most efficient way for a person to develop lasting mathematical skills and one of the best ways to prepare students to meet the challenges of the future. With this in mind, the Mathematica Contest was created. They have designed a contest that will challenge and promote the problem solving skills of all students.

CEMC

These contests are designed to inspire the next generation of students to develop an interest in and love for mathematics and computer science. Early questions require only concepts found in the curriculum common to all provinces. The last few questions are designed to test ingenuity and insight. Rather than testing content, most of the contest problems test logical thinking and mathematical problem solving.

WRITERS FEST

The Vancouver Writers Fest’s annual youth writing contest is open to all students enrolled in grades 8-12 in British Columbia. Contestants can submit either fiction or non-fiction short stories. A jury of writers judges the entries each year, awarding both cash prizes and publication. Many winners have subsequently had their works published—either by a publisher or in major literary journals.

Academic attainment is increasingly measured in a formal examination setting. Many students will find the experience nerve-wracking; at its worst, examination anxiety may even result in underperformance.