Why Choose TalkMaze?
TalkMaze’s mission is to empower students from a young age to become skilled communicators, setting a foundation for lifelong success!
Research consistently highlights that public speaking is a vital skill for children’s success, both academically and in daily life. Early training in these skills fundamentally changes lives, enhancing students’ ability to communicate, boosting confidence and preparing them for future social and professional settings. Studies show that even a single public speaking course can lead to statistically significant improvements to confidence and competence.
Despite proven benefits, there is a notable gap in accessible public speaking programs within elementary schools across the U.S. TalkMaze was established to address this gap by delivering accessible public speaking education, aimed at reducing educational inequality and impacting a broad base of students.
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Our Approach
The TalkMaze curriculum has been carefully designed in collaboration with certified teachers to meet the developmental needs of students. The following sections outline key qualities of the curriculum.
Student-Centered Learning Approach
TalkMaze’s curriculum follows a student-centered approach, focusing on:
Personalized Learning: Curriculum adjustments to fit individual learning styles and interests.
Active Learning: Encouraging students to take ownership of their learning, promoting engagement and long-term retention.
Positive Student-Educator Relationships: Building a learning environment that supports the whole child, fosters identity, and maintains relevance to real-world skills.
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Integration
TalkMaze integrates Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles, drawing from a variety of educational research to create accessible and inclusive virtual classes. The UDL framework utilizes concepts such as the Zone of Proximal Development, scaffolding, and modeling, based on research by Piaget, Vygotsky, and others. This allows TalkMaze to support diverse learning needs, promoting a flexible approach to skill acquisition.
Common Core State Standards Alignment
All TalkMaze lessons align with the US Common Core State Standards, which provides clear, measurable learning goals. This alignment ensures that TalkMaze’s curriculum emphasizes analytical skills, problem-solving, and deep understanding, rather than rote memorization.
Example Lesson - Speech Blocking: This lesson covers Common Core’s English requirement in Grades 2-5: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on topics and texts, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.
We tailor our lesson to this learning outcome by:
(1) Encouraging students to discuss ways speakers can overcome speech blocking
(2) Inviting students to practice a one-minute impromptu speaking exercise.
(3) Remind students that they should try to avoid speech blocking as they speak.
Gamification in Education
To increase engagement, motivation, and retention, TalkMaze has integrated gamification elements into the curriculum. These features make learning enjoyable and interactive, providing incentives that encourage participation and foster collaboration among students.
TalkMaze’s Tropical Maze Adventure:
Structure: Students advance through a virtual “tropical maze,” encountering challenges and earning tokens for completed tasks.
Interactive Elements: Tokens link to review tasks that reinforce learning outcomes, making it an engaging and interactive learning experience.
Other Important Program Features
Flexible, Virtual Learning Options
TalkMaze’s virtual classes are available in group or one-on-one settings, ensuring flexibility to meet the unique learning preferences and needs of each child. Our curriculum is organized by level, allowing for a customized pace and challenge for each student, maximizing the effectiveness of their individual learning journey.
Evidence-Based Outcomes
Our curriculum is designed to deliver measurable outcomes in student confidence and competence. Progress is tracked through standardized metrics, with regular feedback loops that allow for curriculum adjustments to optimize learning.
Continuous Improvement
TalkMaze is committed to the ongoing improvement of its programs. We regularly review curriculum outcomes and incorporate feedback from students, educators, and stakeholders to ensure that our offerings remain current, impactful, and relevant.