How to Boost Confidence in Teens with Online Math Help
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Does homeschooling upper middle and high school level math make you want to put out an S.O.S. signal? Or maybe the Bat-Signal? Wave the white flag?
There really should be a warning label on homeschool high school math resources. Something like, Proceed with Caution. Wear safety goggles (to avoid eye injury from crumpled up paper wads). Open with care, materials may cause random explosions of the teenage kind.
Disclaimer: I received a free one-year subscription of Knowre math and was compensated for my time. All opinions are honest and I was not required to post a positive review.
If you have a homeschool tween or teen in upper-level math, then I venture to say that you can totally understand where I am coming from!
During the younger years, homeschool math can be fun and enjoyable. Lots of hands-on activities and interactive ways to help your kids learn basic math facts and skills. Even if it wasn't your favorite subject to teach, homeschool math in the elementary years hopefully didn't cause too many tears or tantrums.
As you progress through the years, homeschool math becomes more difficult but still manageable. Your kids might give you a bit of struggle but they are still in those "I-want-to-please-Mommy" years.[bctt tweet="Boost Confidence in Your Teens with Online #Math Help @Knowre" username="rockyourhs"]
Then, BOOM! Homeschool middle or high school math hits. You knew it was coming. But, dang! You had no idea that it was going to feel like a bomb had gone off after every lesson.
And it's so hard to watch your kid's math confidence go down the tubes! What happened to that happy-go-lucky child who jumped at doing addition drills and word problems?
If you can relate to these descriptions (or fear for it in the future) for homeschool Pre-Algebra, Algebra I or II and Geometry, read on to learn how to boost confidence in teens with online math help.
Our Experience with Online Math Help
I watched my oldest, Captain, go down the negative math slide and it was excruciatingly painful. He had struggled with math in public school and made a fabulous turn around when we brought him home to learn. I had high hopes for homeschooling higher level math. Those high hopes could have also been due to my love of math! #mathnerd
For a variety of reasons, we started changing up homeschool math curricula. Budget, blogging reviews, and "new and shiny" were the main reasons. Switching up homeschool math curriculum too often did not help my wobbly in math teen.
Captain is now entering his homeschool high school years. We decided to go back to Teaching Textbooks as his main math curriculum. He likes working independently and using an online format. I wanted to make sure that he had a homeschool math curriculum that he feels comfortable with and will continue to use.
While I worked on our homeschool plans for the upcoming year, I looked through his upcoming math level, Algebra. I knew that he would need extra support and practice to bring him up to speed. His math confidence was in the pits. Captain needed something to fill the gaps and help him remember that he can successfully study math.
Fortunately, we had the opportunity to review Knowre, online math practice for Pre-Algebra, Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra II. Captain has been using it for a few weeks now and I am very happy to report that he is once again smiling when practicing math!
Online Math Help Can Boost Teen Academic Confidence
No matter what homeschool math curriculum your tweens and teens use, online math help can boost their confidence. With extra practice, support, and detailed explanations, your teen can better grasp concepts. Teens can benefit from exposure to different teaching approaches and methods of solving a variety of math problems.
An online math help resource can provide your tween or teen with opportunities to:
- revisit areas of weakness
- strengthen concepts that have been mastered
- review concepts and practice problems prior to a test
- systematically work through the grade level to ensure gaps are filled
Knowre has helped boost math confidence for my teen with:
- interactive Walk Me Through support feature that guides him through the problem-solving process
- providing chances to answer problems and correct his mistakes at each step
- several short videos in each lesson that incrementally build concept until mastery (step-by-step reduces overwhelm)
- including practice questions for specific skills and application questions for real life (perfect for my teen who always wants to know why and when he will ever need to know this concept in the real world!)
- a visual map showing his learning path so he knows what to anticipate next and seen all that he has accomplished (great positive reinforcement!)
- a built-in reward system that makes math practice kind of like a game
Knowre is available online or as an app. Captain loves having the flexibility to do his math practice on our laptop, tablet, or phone. If you download the iPad app, make sure to take advantage of the onscreen scratch pad and the handwriting recognition feature!
Captain is a man of few words. His testimonial: a double thumbs-up with a smile.
That is, like, huge in the teen world!
My observations: Captain now completes his math without complaint. He has actually volunteered without prompts to use Knowre a few times. He likes the comic strip that introduces each lesson. I even heard him chuckle a few times when reading it. Captain has expressed that he likes the short videos with the "teaching dude" who handwrites the problems and explains as he goes. I have noticed that Captain is much more relaxed in solving math problems when he is using Knowre.
Oh, another cool feature of Knowre: your student gets access to all the curricula (Pre-Algebra, Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra II) with their license (access). Each license is for one user per year, starts the day student signs up for the account, and is automatically set to expire one year from date of sign-up.
Knowre has a special introductory offer of $29 per user for a whole year! That comes to only $2.42 per month or 8 cents a day! Such an amazing deal for helping your tween or teen boost their math confidence! Offer expires August 31, 2017.
Knowre Online Math Help Giveaway!
How could an online math help resource, like Knowre, help boost math confidence in your teens?