The highly readable and witty Home School In Italy is the web log of an expat mother’s attempts to home educate her child, referred to as ‘Son of Thor’ (which must make the author the goddess Sif).
In the first of a series of online subscription site reviews the author takes a look at Maths-Whizz. Son of Thor has been using the service for three months and his mother has given us a detailed, careful and excellent review!
Sif The author knows of which she speaks, given her 20-year history in EFL teaching and as a TELT (Technology in English Language Teaching) consultant.
As she describes, she subscribed to Maths-Whizz off her own back:
I coughed up to use it to supplement our programme, but very quickly it became obvious that it was of a quality that lent itself beyond supplementation and it became the core of our maths curriculum. It acts as the spine if you like, upon which all other activities hang off as a response to a visible need for further practice or additional concept teaching/checking.
Which is fabulous to read. Crucially, Son of Thor seems to have regained a confidence in, and enthusiasm for, maths:
Far more than the animated format, this confidence building has been the reason why he chooses maths as the first subject every day (it used to be the last, with some hiding behind the sofa added just to help make me feel inadequate) and why he looks upon it as a fun subject that he can succeed in, rather than the particularly Machiavellian form of boy toture he used to see it as.
This, as so many parents and teachers using Maths-Whizz attest, is one of the most important changes. Maths problems can seem insurmountable without the confidence to tackle them. The fact that Son of Thor is newly-enthusiastic about the subject bodes well.
The God of Whizz has always maintained that everyone can run a marathon, which produces various scoffing noises from colleagues and friends. But it struck GoW that there is something akin to this sentiment in maths. Too many people assume that because they can’t do quadratic equations they cannot tackle the simpler stuff, when all it requires is a willingness to take the first few steps and go from there.
That’s what we’re trying to do – raise standards in maths, student by student, and little by little, by starting with what you can do, and showing you what you will do.
We’re pleased Home School in Italy agrees, and can’t say much more than her haiku-like summary:
Dead chuffed
No buyer’s remorse
Will renew
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