Teachers, can you spot a difference between kids who use maths websites and those who don't?

[Iamnotminterested]

Am just curious as there seems to be sooo many sites out there vying for parents money and, dare I say it, preying on our insecurities.

Do they make a difference to a childs' classroom ability?
Do they speed up mental maths recall?
Do you recommend them?

Thanks.

because I'm usually at battle with you two dismissed on-line learning (in many varieties).

Find me a post - anywhere - where I have dismissed online learning please. You won't, because I haven't. At all. Ever.

You are misdirecting your justifiable anger at your dc's school. I am also locked in a battle with my child's school - that doesn't mean I can a) go mental online with whoever I like or b) aggressively market a paid website of which I am a fan. I am using Reading Chest v successfully, and have recommended it - I am not doing the virtual equivalent of shrieking like a banshee at all teachers demanding they do the same (whether they have commented on it or not).

It isn't my job to comment on the myriad of paid websites on your say-so - there are many, many out there. I would be happy to recommend some free Maths websites which don't line Carol Vorderman's pockets, however.

Avocado & Feenie - When a teacher asks the children who are working at least at L5 if not L6 already to change their method for no reason but the fact that it is not his/her method, what do you think of it?

Freerice.com

www.khanacademy.org/

www.bbc.co.uk/schools/websites/4_11/site/numeracy.shtml

www.mathszone.co.uk

nrich.maths.org/public/

www.mangahigh.com/en_gb/?localeset=en_gb

www.mathsonline.com.au/

www.ictgames.com

I think that would be ridiculous and inappropriate, rightvswrong.

I am glad you think so feenie :) Sometimes teachers stick to a method because they are confortable with it not because it is the best one for the child.

Feenie:

Some of these look very useful resources.

I haven't tried signing on but mangahigh looks to be for teacher's only? Is that correct.

Again Feenie - these are recommendations for parents to dip into to support good learning progressing at school.

What would you recommend in the absence of that - when maths learning has to happen at home, because it isn't at all in school?

That's really what mrs rotter was asking about - how to help from the beginning - what, where and when?

mrz was right to question my recommendations but I was thinking later KS1, just didn't explain it well.

If your child isn't grasping the technicalities of how to do things - what would you recommend?

Thanks.

Hi Feenie:

www.mathsonline.com.au/ is Australian:

But isn't hugely different from mathsfactor - but the example lesson has instruction presented as auditorial only (you don't see the teacher & strong Australian accent). The visual is virtually identical. Using shapes and shading to visually reinforce the mathematical equation. But doesn't take full advantage of screen and seems a bit 'clunky'.

Same idea - breakdown of lessons, topics under subjects - much more akin to MyMaths that our school has set up this year to impress OFSTED.

What is your opinion on MyMaths, which is a UK product?

Also thanks for mathszone - hadn't stumbled across that. That is useful mrs rotter.

http://www.mathsonline.com.au/ is Australian

Yes, that's normally the case when a web address ends in 'au'.

In response to: I would recommend changing schools, if teaching is that dire, tbh. I don't know of any resource which would totally replace school learning - perhaps you should ask on the Home Ed board, they would probably know more than me. Why would teachers know how best how to substitute for crap teaching at home?

I teach at home because I am willing to when others aren't.

It is not my profession.

It is not my calling. I just happen to be their Mum.

I am not paid for it.

I haven't trained for it.

I'm not given 5 days off a year + for further training for it.

I am holding down a 3/4 time job and doing what research/ hunting for ideas I can as and when time is available.

I think everyone should be able to add and subtract. I accept for a very small minority it may not be possible - learning disabilities/ physical impairments/ etc... but it should be possible for normal, healthy, well-fed and well-cared for children like mine.

I'm not always foaming at the mouth angry but I do value education and want a good one for my children. Like any parent I just want the best for them and I fear that in primary a good education would imply learning to add, subtract, multiply and divide. [And to cut you off at the pass - no I have no plans for long division at present - DD1 Y4 - so this isn't being overly aspirational]

In the absence of any seriously clear attempt at doing that at our school - please don't be too hard on my crap teaching at home.

Surely it's better than nothing.

And finally Feenie this isn't a rant just at you - this is a rant to the entirety of the teaching profession and anyone committed to education of children in principle. Where on earth are our doctors, surgeons, vets, engineers, scientists, computer programmers, scientists, statisticians, geographers, geologists, inventors, etc... going to come from if they can't add and subtract?

PastSellBy - Feenie has never ever accused you of rubbish teaching. She's accusing your school (based on the information you have given)!

Why didn't you move if you were so unhappy with it?

*please don't be too hard on my crap teaching at home.

You are nuts - I didn't say your teaching was crap, I was quite clearly talking about your dc's school, which is what you've ranted about repeatedly (in between ranting about how unprofessional and amateur I am).

I haven't commented on your teaching.

I haven't commented on Maths Factor at all.

I haven't negatively commented on online learning.

Any other ridiculous accusations to level at me?

As I said, I am very angry at my dc's school wrt to their reading teaching - that doesn't give me the right to rant at any random teacher I may meet online or indeed 'the entirety of the teaching profession and anyone committed to education of children in principle'.

Either do something about it at home or move your child. But stop having a go at me for things I have said nothing about!

PastSellBy I am a maths teacher and my students can certainly add and subtract. Your denigration of the entire teaching profession is ridiculous and does not reflect well on you.

My Y13 A level Further Maths students from last year are now at Bristol, Oxford, Cambridge, Southampton, Warwick and Imperial studying engineering, medicine, maths, computing, economics and physics.

They had serious competition to get their places so there are obviously loads of well qualified and numerate people out there. Do not fear-you will be able to find a competent GP/surgeon to look after you in the future.

To return to the original thread, my ds has had teaching problems this year and so his maths teaching seems rather haphazard - as he is fairly addicted to computers, as soon as he's finished Reading Ehgs which should be soon and wants a new programme, I'd like to look at a maths one. I have very little idea of what maths he's doing at school but know that basics like number bonds aren't secure and don't have the time to devise whole curriculum for him, so would rather stick with one site he can access quickly and easily and wrk through a programme on. I know there are loads out there - mathletics and maths whizz etc etc - Indigo |Bell mentioned an IXL ? and the Khan Academy one on an old thread of mine I was reading this am. Any advice on the best ones? Don't mind paying a bit if it's a good quality product

He's in yr 1.

a question for teacherwith2kids my dd was taught number bonds from the begining of yr1 term and this was stated in her homework book to recall number bonds so I was focusing on her quick recall with this, she was not seeming to make much progress on this. In her parent tteacher meeting before the end of this term I mentioned to teacher and she said she had tested on number bonds since first term as they are now doing number lines and dd is top group so not an issue. you say that a child using number line would be slower at reaching an answer than child using number bonds? why do you think the teacher has changed how she is working with the class?

sorry to hijack

Wow!!!! how this has progressed whilst we have been out for the day at the Splash Play Centre!!!

I can hear your frustration Pastsellby and have to admit I can empathise with you totally. My dd at an outstanding state school was badly let down too. That doesn't mean to say that all schools and maths teaching is bad, which some posters are feeling you are saying - I can maybe (because I am a parent not a teacher), separate that fact and see that you are not saying that.

Feenie, Mrz, Empirestate, you surely must see as a parent with no teaching experience (and in my case first experience of a child at school), it is very very worrying when you realise that your child is not learning what should be basics - I never thought - maybe naievely I should have to supplement teaching at home, I was expecting that was the schools job, although I know better now! Possibly because you are good teachers, at good schools, you are failing to understand how badly let down parents can be and how if you are not 'involved' in education, what a minefield it is.

Yes I questioned my school and was told that all was OK with reading - until Year 2, when I was told that my dd was struggling and put on a special reading scheme. She flew through this and is reading well above her age group now. I was told in Reception that dd was great at maths, was already thinking about numbers and adding up well (we had done some games at home), but at the end of Year 1, I felt things weren't right, especially when she came home and told me she was on the Red table, because the teacher had told her she 'was rubbish at money'. (this has stayed with her to this day).

In the end, we did what others have suggested - found another school - however, because of the area we are in and no places at our alternative state, that means paying for an education - which I have to say so far has been amazing (I had no idea there would be such a huge difference in both school and my dd).

I am fuming too, sick that we really wasted two years of our dd's schooling and angry that we have ended up paying for something that our dd should have a right too - a good education.

Yes we do Maths Factor, I looked at other free sites, thanks to these boards, but I have no idea how to teach or to structure the lessons and what I should be picking out to do. Mathletics looked very competitive to me and I felt the lessons dd will have with the former are more like teaching.

I don't know if it is good, bad, a waste of money and too would welcome any input from a professional about that.

My dd is having a little bit of extra help at her new school, but the fear, hate and lack of confidence remains, hence the MF to boost that - which it has done.

I echo PSBD's query about MF, I know it is lining Vordemans pockets, I can live with that if it helps dd, but as OP says, are these types of things any good?

I don't think I have ever said that children shouldn't use on line maths sites only that the children in my class (current and past) who I know use these sites don't automatically have better maths skills as a result. Some are more confused as a result. The OP asked can you spot the pupils who use these sites ...my honest answer is NO!

I can't comment on MF because I'm not going to pay to work my way through it to make an informed judgement.

How about the other sites? Mathsfactor is only one and not generally regarded as the best..

I sometimes ask children to change methods ( mainly solving equations) as their method doesn't allow them to extend to more advanced situations. In order to progress they need a different method. I may also want them to try something else to see if it works. It is often easier to introduce a method with numbers before moving onto algebra. I also find with percentages that i need a particular method before moving onto reverse percentages. A number of times I have taught a particular Mathis deliberately as they need it the next lesson. When I get the homework in they have used another method as ' mum says it is simpler'. That's fine but has restricted their progress the next lesson.
Yes btw I can often tell students who are tutored extensively. They often have knowledge but no understanding of its applications. An example of this is they can tell me the angles in a triangle add up to 180 but given 2 angles in a triangle, they have no idea how to find the third.

I know this is at a higher level but I am sure it is the same really.

breadandbutterfly really all I can say is that I don't use them

Hmmm I see this from both sides as a parent and as a teacher who hasn't taught for 8 years so basically clueless as to what todays preferred requirements are.

I think a lot of this thread boils down to a problem in many schools-a complete lack of communication and information.My dc are at an Outstanding school and I'm staggered at how bad it is. Either we're just unlucky or things have changed a lot since I've been out of teaching.

A lot of the information many of us would like could surely be on a page of A4 for each year group given out in Sep.If parents were also given thorough reports with levels and individual information( instead of those with cover all computer bank comments)followed up by honest and comprehensive parents evenings with books and work laid out parents wouldn't need to come on MN to hunt out basic information.

I have received not one of the above and I'm bemused as to why. Parents are keen to support schools,I don't get the educational value of limiting information and not fully involving parents every step of the way.

I'm ever grateful for mrz (are you a lady or a man,I'm nosey)et al but at the end of the day they are busy teachers who shouldn't really be expected to look into all this material. Having said that it would be soooooo useful. Perhaps MN could look into getting somebody to do this or do they just like to get paid by Pearson?

Personally I refuse to pay huge amounts for these online things so I've resorted to workbooks as some are quite good and I like having the info at my fingertips.I don't like my dd being on screens and I find it easy to be organised and to know exactly how my dc are progressing by doing pencil and paper activities.
Having said all that the big question for me is how exactly to do you find time to do anything.I had big plans this hols but they all needed a break/had friends to catch up with so all my plans didn't exactly happen. When they're back at school they're knackered.