How It Works
The Method
A Capture Thought is a short video where a student explains their mathematical thinking out loud while showing their work. Using our patented folding smartphone stand, students position any smartphone to face down at the included dry erase board — keeping their faces off camera and letting their ideas take center stage. As they solve a problem, they narrate every step: what they're doing, why they're doing it, and how they know it's correct.
The result is a window into how a student actually thinks about math — something tests and worksheets simply can't show you.
The App-Built by Veteran Math Teachers
Capture Thought AI is an AI-powered platform that makes video-based math assessment practical for everyday classroom use. It uses GPT-4o Vision to analyze both what students say and what they write, providing detailed, research-based feedback on every video — so teachers don't have to watch and grade each one manually.
How It Works
Teachers create a template with the math problem, key vocabulary, and criteria for a strong explanation. The app also suggests problems for you if you need a suggestion.
Students record their Capture Thought using our patented stand and submit through a simple QR code link. No student accounts required.
AI analyzes the video across five research-based dimensions:
Routine — Did they follow a logical method?
Structure — Was their explanation organized and clear?
Reflection — Did they explain why, not just what?
Language — Did they use correct vocabulary?
Correctness — Is the math accurate?
Once teachers approve the feedback, students receive personalized, actionable feedback via email. They don’t just receive a score, but instead get specific guidance on what they did well and how to improve.
Teachers get the full picture — scores, class-wide patterns, and the ability to identify who needs support and who's ready to move on.
Why Video Explanations?
They reveal real understanding. When students explain out loud in real time, you hear the reasoning that written answers hide.
They build communication skills. Explaining math clearly is a critical skill that traditional assessments don't capture.
They show authentic thinking. It's very difficult to fake comprehension on video. You hear the hesitations, the self-corrections, and the moments where it clicks.
They go beyond the answer. Students point at their work, reference diagrams, and make connections that never appear on paper. The AI sees all of it.
The Research
The Capture Thought framework is grounded in Dr. Drew Ishii's doctoral research at Ohio State University on mathematical communication. The research identifies three levels of mathematical explanation:
Algorithmic — Describing steps without reasoning ("I multiplied because that's the next step")
Structural — Explaining why each step works and how concepts connect
Transformative — Applying understanding to new situations and making deeper connections
Working with Dr. Ishii as a collaborator on Capture Thought, our app builds upon this research and uses it as a framework to deliver critical insights that helps teachers see where each student is doing well, can improve, and tracks their growth over time in a simple dashboard.
Who Uses It?
Capture Thought is used by math teachers across middle school and high school for formative assessments, exit tickets, homework alternatives, and deeper checks for understanding. It's built for any classroom where knowing how students think matters as much as whether they got the right answer.
"Capture Thought is listed on the ISTE EdTech Index as a verified educational technology tool."
