Math Magic® Framework

A Neuroscience-Aligned, Competency-Based Model for Middle School Math

Math Magic® is a brain-based math learning model that helps students see how math works, not just memorize procedures. It strengthens number sense, builds conceptual understanding, and boosts confidence — especially for learners who experience math anxiety, cognitive overload, or fragmented prior instruction.

At the heart of the model is the MULTIMAGIC Table, a visual, pattern-rich framework that organizes foundational concepts so students can recognize relationships across operations, fractions, ratios, factors, multiples, and proportional reasoning.

Math Magic integrates neuroscience, pattern recognition, emotional regulation, and competency-based progression to support deep, durable learning for middle school students.

Who Math Magic Is For

Best fit for:
Grades 6–8 • core instruction and intervention • multilingual learners • neurodivergent learners • students with math anxiety • competency-based learning environments

Why Math Magic Works

Neuroscience + Emotional Safety First

Math Magic reduces anxiety and prepares the brain for learning. Students begin with a predictable visual anchor, self-verify their work, and explore concepts without time pressure.
When students feel safe and regulated, the brain can access working memory, pattern recognition, and higher-order thinking — all essential for true mathematical understanding.

High-Quality Instruction Through Conceptual Coherence

Math Magic organizes major middle school math concepts into one coherent visual system.
Rather than memorizing isolated steps, students learn why math works by seeing how numbers and relationships connect visually. This supports:

• deep conceptual understanding

• transfer across topics

• long-term retention

Pattern Recognition: How the Brain Learns Math

The brain learns by recognizing patterns. Math Magic is designed around this principle.

Using the MULTIMAGIC Table, students engage with color, symmetry, repetition, and spatial structure to make abstract ideas intuitive. They begin to:

• identify multiples, factors, and common patterns visually

• recognize equivalence and proportional relationships

• predict outcomes before calculating

This reduces cognitive load and strengthens both accuracy and efficiency.

Flexible, Personalized, Competency-Based Learning

Math Magic supports competency-based progression by allowing students to:

• begin at their current level of understanding

• revisit concepts through visual, verbal, and kinesthetic representations

• demonstrate mastery through explanation, application, and pattern use

The Math Magic workbook includes warm-ups, pattern-training exercises, self-assessments, application tasks, and reflective activities. These tools allow teachers to:

• flex pacing

• group students dynamically

• target specific competencies without reteaching full units

Academic Vocabulary Without Cognitive Overload

Math vocabulary is taught through meaningful visual connections, not rote memorization.
The Math Magic Vocabulary Cards help students connect terms like factor, multiple, ratio, proportion, GCF, LCM, exponent, and equivalent fraction to what they can see and do on the MULTIMAGIC Table.
This approach improves comprehension, retention, and performance on assessments — especially for multilingual and neurodivergent learners.

Student Agency, Self-Teaching, and Confidence

Math Magic empowers students to take ownership of their learning. Using the MULTIMAGIC Table:

• students verify answers independently

• detect and correct errors

• build confidence through repeated success

This autonomy supports personalized learning goals and cultivates resilient, self-directed learners.

In Summary

Math Magic® is not just a math resource — it is a learning model that:

• aligns with neuroscience and how the brain learns best

• prioritizes emotional safety and nervous system regulation

• builds deep conceptual understanding through pattern recognition

• supports flexible, competency-based, personalized learning

• strengthens procedural fluency and mathematical reasoning

Math Magic is especially well-suited for middle school redesign efforts focused on equity, coherence, confidence, and long-term success.

Next Steps

• 📥 Download the Math Magic Competency Alignment Chart (PDF) — one page overview for educators and leaders