Englewood students in Grade 1 and Grade 2 have achieved 1st place in the Mathador mental math competition, an international challenge developed by the Réseau Canopé.
The Mathador mental math competition is fully integrated into the students’ mathematics program. Since the beginning of the school year, classes have trained several times per week through structured sessions designed to build calculation fluency, number sense, and strategic thinking.
The concept is precise and demanding: students must reach a target number by combining given numbers using the four operations, addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Points are awarded based on the strategy used, requiring students to optimize their choices and work efficiently under time constraints.
Beyond speed, the Mathador mental math competition develops:
- flexibility in manipulating numbers
- strategic selection of operations
- efficiency under time pressure
- perseverance and sustained engagement
Each week, classes from across the Agence pour l’enseignement français à l’étranger (AEFE) network compete in a new international challenge. A weekly ranking is published, adding a motivating and healthy competitive dimension.
Over time, Mathador has become a structured mathematical routine in the classroom. This first-place result highlights the students’ consistency, discipline, and growing confidence in mental calculation.
This achievement builds on the strong mathematical foundation developed during initiatives such as Math Week. Read more about how numbers come to life across our campuses in our recent blog post: Math Week: Numbers Come to Life!
