Cyberchase, which is produced by WNET, New York City’s flagship public television station, is the country’s longest running STEM-focused TV show and PBS’s third longest-running show (after Sesame Street and Arthur). Cyberchase shows children how math is everywhere, helping them improve their math problem-solving skills and increase their confidence with math learning. WNET also provides off-screen activities and games to extend the learning and encourage students to make connections between the show and the world around them.
Evidence shows that higher levels of Cyberchase viewing were associated with more positive math attitudes and greater confidence in math problem-solving. Seventy-five percent of children said they felt that the television series helped them with math and problem solving; researchers found more consistent effects when children engaged with both the TV series and associated online games than with either medium alone.
Overdeck Family Foundation funding supports the production of new Cyberchase episodes, digital learning games, and off-screen opportunities to develop environmental literacy and STEM content knowledge among students.