High value added learning is defined as instructional time that simultaneously accomplishes multiple, separate, actual skills and cross curricular objectives.  This learning value added justifies an organized effort and support from our school employers.  There are a variety of skills that can be learned and delivered to students rapidly, and math modeling is fundamental to understanding any quantitative phenomenon.  The spreadsheet connects and controls every data set, and teachers must be masterful with data and still get better with ongoing practice.   The computational value added of the spreadsheet is leveraged with SLM and student skills growth and increased capability and understanding happens in never-before-possible ways.  Sharing is earning, learn how!

DIVA stands for Direct Instructional Value Added.  Spreadsheet modeling enhances mathematical reasoning by automating the math of any phenomena that can be expressed quantitatively.  Students can be guided to build models on a spreadsheet and they will immediately recognize the value added of a software that can replicate calculations for them with simple and intuitive methods.   On top of this, they then will be able to accelerate their turnover of questions and answers and learn at deep levels.  There are a variety of psychological reasons for this, but the most important is engagement.  A spreadsheet enables a student to engage and organize data, and as they grow in fluency with SLM models, their data fluency grows as well!  This gives SLM student and teachers an advantage.  Ask any coach what is the best to grow skills?  PRACTICE!  SLM will boost student and teacher fluency with data ongoingly in practice.  Not only is it Direct Instructional Value Added, but spreadsheet modeling is increasing value over time as teachers develop new applications to leverage this calculation rate upgrade for learning!

Because we have so much stimulus and information flowing around us all the time, students have learned to tune out things they have decided are unimportant for them.  Many students who do not value their STEM education do not recognize its importance for their future opportunities and the needs of the nation.  Teaching skills on spreadsheets immediately show students value added because they can see the cells replicating many calculations instantly.  Further, the organization and layout of a spreadsheet model can have many educational benefits for learning "data fluency".  Organizing data in columns and labeling with units, and having graphs with units labeled helps students understand the connection between STEM and data science simulataneously!