Go beyond math exercises.
Solve meaningful problems.

Teacher-facilitated math problem-solving sessions that connect your teenagers’  passions with their math coursework

We Develop Better Problem-Solvers


MathTreks encourages students to use their mathematical understanding  to solve problems that they identify as personally meaningful.  The result? Greater motivation to learn math, ability to tackle open-ended problems, and belief in their ability to ‘do math.’



With MathTreks, students become more skilled mathematicians by ‘doing math.’  Students grow into more sophisticated mathematicians by tackling  challenging problems that are an intellectual stretch.


Through repeated success at complex problem-solving with MathTreks, students become more assured in their own ability to navigate mathematical challenges.  Anxiety and fear is replaced with excitement.

High-impact problem solving

We specialize in open-ended applied math problems, aka ‘math word problems’ with multiple possible solutions. Why? American students struggle with complex math problems.  

MathTreks’ integrates the research of leading scholars into a comprehensive approach for developing problem-solvers. Every session is designed around mathematics Professor George Polya’s framework for problem-solving, psychology Professor Carol Dweck’s approach to cultivating positive mindsets, math education Professor Jo Boaler’s insights on task designs that encourage deep thinking, and education science Professor John Hattie’s research on effective practices for learning math. 

Enrich Any Curriculum

MathTreks offers the opportunity to round out any math program with two crucial elements that are often missing:  relevance and complex problem-solving.  After learning the foundational knowledge and skills in their core math program, students transfer their mathematical understanding to a novel problem that is richly contextualized in a topic of personal interest – career paths, sports, hobbies, etc.  In a virtuous cycle, MathTreks nurtures students’ motivation to pursue their formal math studies, which then equips them to solve more challenging problems through MathTreks.  

Transfer learning

happens when students can

make connections among mathematical understandings

and then

use those understandings to solve problems in unfamiliar situations,

at the same time

being intentionally aware of what they are doing.”

– Professor John Hattie

Amplify Small Group Learning

MathTreks sessions add a balance of structure and independence to small groups of teenagers – learning pods, micro-schools, homeschool cooperatives, or any other small group.  Recurring sessions provide a rhythm to your group’s math work by uniting students in the application of their new math skills and knowledge towards solving complex, meaningful problems as a team.  Go beyond making distance learning manageable and embrace the opportunity to engage students in deep learning that encourages rich peer collaboration.    

Discussion & Reflection

MathTreks incorporates discussion and reflection into every problem-solving session.  Through articulating their thoughts, students deepen their mathematical understanding and hone their ability to communicate technical details effectively.  Reflection also serves dual purposes: to nurture students’ positive disposition towards problem-solving and improve their ability to monitor their own thinking during challenging intellectual work. 

What to Expect

Each MathTreks session is designed around  two open-ended problems that align with students’ math goals and are contextualized in a topic of personal interest to the students.  They spend a significant portion of the time understanding the problems and developing a plan – what is the unknown, and what method should we use to solve for it?  Students articulate their thinking through discussion and diagrams / tables/ graphs while the teacher stimulates students’ thinking with carefully considered questions.  

Book Your Free Consultation

Share your hopes for your teenagers.  Learn more about MathTreks. 


Monday- Thursday 3:00pm CST - 10:00 pm CST
Friday 3:00pm CST - 6:00pm CST
Saturday 9:00am CST - 5:00pm CST
Sunday 12:00pm CST - 10:00pm CST

We are online

All sessions are held in a secure virtual classroom.