What is your favorite aspect of homeschooling? Personally, I love that it allows me to set the pace for my daughters, moving ahead where they have strengths, and slowing down where there are struggles. I have often shared our struggle with Math. Maybe struggle isn't the right word. It is simply a subject that doesn't come as easily as say, Language Arts. After dealing with a variety of Math teachers in my own education, some very good, some downright hostile, I decided that as it relates to my style of teaching Math, I would keep it positive, and focus on progress rather than perfection. That being said, as we are in our 10th and 11th year of homeschooling, I continue my search for that Holy Grail of Mathematics. This latest review, a full annual membership to IXL Learning , is proving to be quite a help in our studies.
I speak of Math, but IXL Learning goes beyond Mathematics. Parents will also find help in Language Arts, Science, Social Studies, and Spanish. This website is a practical option for families with multiple ages and grade levels, as there are skills for pre-k and all the way up to high school. I'll stop and clarify here, that this program is not a curriculum, it provides practice in the aforementioned subjects. It is meant to be a supplement. For our review period however, we did use this in place of our regular curriculum for Math, Language Arts, and Science. I wanted us to get a sense of what is offered.
Getting started will mean taking the diagnostic skills assessment. It sounds more intimidating than it is. The program provides customized recommended skills suggestions that are continually being updated as your student works. There are a series of questions and problems to work through to get that analysis going. You should know that that there really isn't an end to this assessment, it will keep providing questions for as long as your young scholar can go, so parents can determine a reasonable amount of time for this section. Once this is done, you can move on to the recommended skills. Now, your child isn't bound to the recommended work. You can access any of the levels at any time, by clicking on the tabs for any grade level. The recommendations provide a jumping off point to get going.
When my girls took the test, they were surprised at some of the results. Their Math in some areas suggested gaps that put them back a bit. Since I had watched them take the diagnostic, and knowing their impatience with the subject, I saw errors that resulted from rushing, and clicking the wrong key, so I took the results with a grain of salt. It was a good lesson though, to remind them that even where they know the material, they need to check their work. Their Language Arts was well ahead, and that was no surprise to any of us either, as that is a strength. Interestingly, both of them, even knowing that they had a better handle on Math than their results showed, decided to go back and review before moving ahead. They were pleased to quickly move through the skills this way, and get back up to where we knew they were supposed to be.
A feature that I absolutely love about the Math skills, is that when an answer is incorrect, the program shows the original problem, reviews the process used to work the concept used in the problem, and shows where the student erred. It has been a frequent complaint of all of us, in various other Math programs, that we see a problem is wrong, but WHERE is it wrong? How do you correct a problem when you don't know where you went off the path? This method allows the girls to see it, review the concept, and move ahead. It's fantastic. Why can't all Math programs do this?!
I'm always halfway expecting a "meh" kind of attitude from my daughters when I ask how they find a Math program, based on their feelings on the general subject. I've been pleased that overall, they have done well with IXL Learning . They will never love Math, but when they jump into this program with no prodding, no complaints, well, that's a ringing endorsement from them, ha. In fact, there have been more instances with one or both of them approaching me, thrilled that they achieved or exceeded a section in their skills. Beautiful, just beautiful.
As students master skills, they earn awards that are displayed on a board under the Awards tab. It features a treasure hunt theme that reflects the interests of each child. They uncover various virtual prizes as they go. I find that my girls enjoy poking around this tab, and seeing what they've earned.
My youngest has really explored this program enthusiastically. In fact, it's been hard to get pictures of her working, because she gets up, logs in, and flies through several subjects before finishing breakfast. Parents are emailed notifications and certificates as students pass skills, and answer so many questions, and my inbox is FULL of these. There are so many certificates to print that I would be spending a small fortune in ink if I were to print them all, so we look at them online, for the most part, lol. But, I am not complaining! She has really enjoyed her introduction to Spanish. She's starting to answer us in simple phrases, although her accent needs work, lol. Science is a favorite subject for her, and she has loved learning about Geology in particular, and studying the scientific method. I'm just thrilled to see her so jazzed about her schoolwork. Everyday without fail, after she is finished, and sometimes while she is working, she will call me over, and re-teach the concept that she just learned, to me. It's getting in her brain folks, yes!
My oldest does not have the same level of enthusiasm for school in general, but she is finding this resource to be helpful and be still my heart, even enjoyable. We all agree that this is a great program to supplement your current curriculum, and fill in the gaps, and have some fun while learning.
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