San Diego, May 29, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Parents looking for a summer camp this year may find that there are limited options due to COVID-19 social distancing guidelines. Art of Problem Solving (AoPS), a leader in math education that has prepared hundreds of thousands of students for some of the most prestigious universities, has transformed its Summer Camp activities online to create a collaborative learning and social space for children in third grade through high school. The Summer Camp activities help students develop problem solving skills through group activities in math and related subjects.
Though this is the fourth year that Art of Problem Solving has offered a Summer Camp, this is the first time the organization is offering the camp experience completely online. Activities include learning how to develop cryptographic skills to protect internet security, to a class that integrates math learning as part of a poetry project that concludes with a Poetry Slam. The two-week and four-week sessions start in June and last through the summer.
“As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many parents are seeking a summer camp experience for their children that conforms to social distancing norms while encouraging learning and collaboration,” said Richard Rusczyk, the founder of Art of Problem Solving, which has offered classes since 2003. “At Art of Problem Solving, we quickly adapted our on-campus Summer Camp experience with our online academic models. Our first-ever online Summer Camp is designed to encourage students to develop problem solving skills in a personalized and collaborative group environment.”
The COVID-19 pandemic has created wider public awareness of the relevancy of math and statistics in everyday life. Rusczyk said his organization has seen that interest reflected in demand from more parents and children who see math skills as increasingly important. Also, in response to COVID-19, the company offered for a limited time a free trial to its Beast Academy program that integrates comic-style “beast” characters and exercises, puzzles and games.
The Art of Problem Solving began in 1993 with a pair of textbooks for middle and high school math contest participants. Ten years later, Art of Problem Solving launched a website with an online school and full math curriculum designed for high-performing math learners. Every member of the 2015, 2016, 2018, and 2019 U.S. International Math Olympiad teams―each of which took first place in the competition―are Art of Problem Solving alumni who collectively participated in more than 110 Art of Problem Solving Online courses. The Art of Problem Solving is an ACS WASC Accredited School that offers programs online and, prior to COVID-19, at its nationwide campus locations. The organization also works with school districts to integrate their offerings as part of school math lessons.
Looking beyond the immediate pandemic, problem solving skills are considered to be essential to the nation’s future workforce. As professions shift toward greater use of automation and artificial intelligence, there is expected to be an increased demand for people who have the ability to identify creative solutions and manage these developments. Critical thinking and problem solving is a top skill identified by National Association of Colleges and Employers.
About Art of Problem Solving
Art of Problem Solving has successfully trained hundreds of thousands of motivated students in preparation for success at top-tier colleges and careers. Through rigorous, high-quality K-12 math curriculum, online classes and learning centers, Art of Problem Solving trains today’s brightest minds to solve tomorrow’s challenges. For additional information, visit www.artofproblemsolving.com.