We all know the signs of a math class where students are not engaged – students are quiet, hesitant to raise their hands, and counting the minutes until the bell. Math teachers work hard to make lessons engaging, but it’s tough work. And it’s not just that the material is challenging – those same students are deeply engaged in activities they choose outside of school that are just as hard: playing basketball, taking dance, building collections of their favorite things. So what keeps them locked in out there, but shut down in school? How might we bring that same energy and enthusiasm into the classroom?

That's where Teaching Lab Studio’s latest project, Tangle & Thrive, comes in. We're Mika Asaba and Louisa Rosenheck, and we're exploring how to boost students' readiness to learn math – not just their ability to complete problems, but their willingness to dive in and genuinely engage.

Why “Tangle & Thrive”? Our philosophy is simple: Students thrive when they're tangled up in meaningful connections, productive struggle, and owning their learning journey. 

Together, we bring psychology research and rapid prototyping methods to test what works in real classrooms. Mika comes from a background in developmental psychology and cognitive sciences, while Louisa brings expertise in learning design and educational technology. Teamed up as a researcher and designer, we are excited to quickly test out a variety of approaches to student engagement, and from there, build what is actually effective.

Our Hypotheses and Approaches

The goal of our project is to increase middle school students’ engagement with math, both in class and outside of class, along multiple dimensions. . Our approach blends two forces: extrinsic rewards to reinforce positive behaviors, and experiences that help students feel capable, connected, and in charge. We believe that when students have both – the external reinforcement and the internal sense of “I want to do this” and “I've got this” – that's when readiness to engage with math can really take hold.

There’s no one single reason why students are disengaged in math and, given that, students may benefit from different solutions or a combination of solutions. Rather than betting everything on one engagement solution, we're taking a rapid prototyping approach and trying out several different concepts that tap into different levers of motivation:

• Student-made games that make the math theirs

• Simple goal-setting that connects daily work to real-world interests

• Bite-size collaborative activities that spark math talk

• Light caregiver nudges to bring math conversations home

• Incentives that reward growth and progress

And more! No silver bullet – just a toolkit we’ll tailor to different learners.

Will these approaches be AI-powered? At this time, we answer that with a resounding, “Maybe!” Rather than searching for places to use AI, we want to first learn about what types of activities and design principles work to get students engaged. Then, if AI can help deliver an experience the teacher isn’t expert in, or scaffold some self-reflection, or be a thought partner for developing creative strategies, that’s where we’ll integrate the technology.

Building on What Works

Each of our engagement concepts is designed to fit alongside existing learning experiences or digital platforms, adding a motivation layer on top. These concepts can slide into what teachers already do, as modular components that support students’ engagement. 

By working alongside teachers and testing with students, we're learning which approaches resonate most and genuinely set students up for success. Some classrooms gravitate toward the student-made math games, while others prefer the reward systems. That variability is exactly what we expected, and why we're testing multiple solutions in parallel.

What's Coming Up

Right now, we're in the thick of small-scale pilots, gathering feedback from students and teachers about which concepts show the most promise. We're measuring not just whether students like these approaches, but if they actually show up differently to their math learning and whether their mindsets toward math are improving.

The components we develop won't live in isolation. They're designed to integrate with existing Teaching Lab Studio tools and eventually, with other learning platforms seeking to boost engagement.

The Bottom Line

Math readiness is not just about skill or content knowledge – it’s about walking in the door ready to engage, persist, and even enjoy the challenge. With Tangle & Thrive, we're building the on-ramps that help students accelerate into meaningful math learning – on their own terms.

Which approach resonates most for you? We'd love to hear from educators and edtech folks about what you're seeing in your classrooms and platforms. Reach out to Mika Asaba (mika.asaba@teachinglabstudio.com) share your thoughts or explore collaboration.