Recently Adisyn has been trying out an online Algebra I course from Thinkwell. They offer courses for 6th to 8th Grade Math (6th Grade to Pre-Algebra including Essentials and Honors) and also High School Math (Algebra to Calculus including Essentials and Honors).
We have found that online math courses help streamline our days because the kids can work mostly independently completing math lessons while I work with someone else on a different subject.
It is quite safe to say that math is not one of Adisyn’s favorite courses. It never has been nor do I think it ever will be. However, that doesn’t dimenish the fact that we still need to make it through high school math so I thought trying a new approach might be a good idea for her.
As with most programs there was a bit of a learning curve, it took a few times of using the program to realize that she couldn’t go from lesson to lesson and have the program give her a score. She had to go back to the video list to get it to recognize that she was doing more than one lesson.
Each of the lessons features a short video (generally 5-10 minutes in length) introducing the topic and showing how to work out sample problems. It’s much more like being in a classroom with an actual teacher than some other courses we have used.
At the completion of the video lessons there are exercises (typically 9) that the students work through. After answering the questions, whether the answer is right or wrong, the next screen shows how to work out the problem.
There are also worksheets to print off with a seperate answer key. Like the practice exercises, the answer key shows exactly how to work through each problem. This helps the student truly understand the lesson and how to work the problems.
While I think Thinkwell is a good program and I like the way it’s set up it wasn’t a good fit for Adisyn. However, I do believe that it might be a good fit for some of my other kids. That’s one of the great things about homeschooling, being able to see what works for students and teacher. Interested to see if Thinkwell might work for your family? They do offer a free trial for 14 days and placement tests to help you know where to place your student.
I am thankful that we’ve been able to review Thinkwell and will probably come back to it with some of my younger kids as I think it would be a good fit for them.
Connect with Thinkwell on these Social Media Links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThinkwellLearning/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/ThinkwellVids/
I hope you will read reviews from other members of the Homeschool Review Crew by clicking the banner below. Reviewers had the opportunity to use all the various Thinkwell courses from 6th grade-High School including Essentials and Honors courses. When you get to the Homeschool Review Crew blog page you can see which course the reviewers reviewed by the caption. This is an easy way to know which reviews cover the course(s) you’re interested in.
Blessings,
Jennifer
