This is our family’s fifth year using Teaching Textbooks as our homeschool math curriculum. I’ve written a thorough review of Teaching Textbooks, shared before about how we use it as a key component of our multi-age homeschool, and even listed some of the surprising features and benefits that you might not know about Teaching Textbooks!
But today I want to turn the tables and let my kids do the talking! You know what I love about Teaching Textbooks. But what do our homeschool students think? (And what might your homeschool students love about Teaching Textbooks?) Take it away, kids!
Direct and Efficient Math Instruction
“It is a very direct and efficient way of learning math. Very straightforward. It does its job very well.” ~ Luke, Age 18
My son Luke is now a homeschool graduate working as an electrician’s apprentice and enrolled in electrical school working towards his journeyman’s license. He began Teaching Textbooks with Algebra 1 and worked through Pre-Calculus, the highest level available.
He especially appreciated that the Teaching Textbooks approach to math instruction enabled him to work independently. The instruction was clear and concise and it allowed him to use his time well to provide maximum flexibility with his schedule - one of the great benefits of homeschooling!
Learning Math Even from Your Mistakes
“I like that if you get a problem wrong you get a second chance and then if you still don't get it right they will actually walk you through the right way to do the problem.” ~ Emma, Age 17
We all know that making mistakes is a part of the learning process. But what do kids do if they make a mistake in an online or digital math program? Who will explain what they should have done if they can’t see their way to the right answer?
My daughter Emma, now a high school senior, especially appreciates that on some types of questions, Teaching Textbooks gives students two tries to get a correct answer. Even if they don't find the correct answer on their own, Teaching Textbooks offers a complete walkthrough that explains the proper procedure step by step!
Math that Goes Wherever You Go
“You can work pretty independently. I like that I can do math on my own. Plus you can take your math wherever you go because a few lessons download when you're on WiFi and then you can do them even when you're off WiFi.” ~ Ruth, Age 15
We’re a pretty tech-savvy household. All of my kids (right down to the six-year-old) have their own tablets. They’re always interested to know if a particular app or game is something that will work “off Wifi” so they can use it in the car.
However, they’re also pretty protective of the storage capacity on their devices because they know how quickly it can run low if they download too many space-hogging apps.
They love that Teaching Textbooks meets both those needs. When they are on Wifi, the next six lessons will sync with the account on their tablets so they can work on the go, but they don’t have to have storage space for the entire year’s worth of math lessons!
Customizable, Flexible Math Learning
“I like how it gives you practice problems so that you can practice what you learned before you actually do the problems that are graded. I like that I could skip 7th grade math and go right to pre-algebra.” ~ Robyn, Age 13
Believe it or not, for the past few years Robyn has finished all of her Teaching Textbooks math for the year by March. One year she even completed it by the end of December! She loves that she is able to learn at her own pace without waiting on me. (Because let’s be honest: Mom is almost always the bottleneck in the homeschool schedule. There’s only one me!)
After the lecture at the beginning of each lesson, Teaching Textbooks gives students five practice problems before they get into the scored exercises. The practice problems are examples of the five most difficult problems they will be graded on and provide a good summary checkpoint of the topics covered in the lecture. It’s a no-risk way for kids to try out what they just learned, plus they can look back at those practice problems for reference as they begin working their way through the graded exercises.
In our homeschool, we don’t use formal math curriculum before third grade. Robyn began with Teaching Textbooks in third grade and was able to gain such a mastery of arithmetic through Math 3, 4, 5, and 6 that she skipped Math 7 and went straight to Pre-Algebra in 7th grade.
When Your Kids Love Math Quizzes
“I like the quizzes. It's kind of a good challenge and helps you know that you've learned things. I like having Buddies to make jokes when you get something right or get something wrong. I like how a lot of the wallpapers match the Buddies!” ~ Henry, Age 12
“I like the quizzes because it's like a test to see how well you know things. I like the lecture at the beginning. It helps me understand the math. I like the drawing pad. It helps a lot because I can write it down so I can understand it better.” ~ Hazel, Age 10
“I like how there's quizzes and you get timed to do forty problems. The lessons are good. I know how to change my wallpaper!” ~ Joey, Age 8
You might be surprised to see that my youngest three Teaching Textbooks students all mentioned that they like the periodic Quizzes the program offers. No, I didn’t tell them to say that! In the homeschool, assessment is often informal, through conversation or narration. So my homeschooled-from-the-beginning kiddos actually like the opportunity to have a qualitative measure of what they’ve mastered!
The Fun Features of the Teaching Textbooks Apps
You’ll notice that the youngest ones also enjoy some of the fun features available in Teaching Textbooks, like the Buddies - quirky creatures that hang out next to your math learning screen, offer occasional hints, and sometimes say funny things about your math progress!
Hazel also likes to use the scratchpad. If students are learning math on the computer, they may still need a way to work out problems by hand. The scratchpad feature of the Teaching Textbooks app means they can do this digitally, too, so they don’t have to bring along scratch paper and pencil!
And Joey, our newly minted Teaching Textbooks student, has already figured out how to change the zany wallpaper that appears behind his learning screen. He loves the timed challenges that test his knowledge of math facts and train him towards automation of those concepts so he can be smooth and efficient as he moves toward more complex calculations.
Our youngest, George, is six and in the first grade so he hasn’t had the opportunity to try Teaching Textbooks for himself, but he’s looking forward to that right of passage in third grade that all seven of his older siblings have experienced before him!
Hear Straight from the Kids!
I asked each of the kids to take a moment to tell you in their own words what they love about Teaching Textbooks! You can listen in to their thoughts in the video below.
Try Teaching Textbooks for Free
Does hearing about the experiences of my children using Teaching Textbooks make you want to give it a try in your home? The good news is that you can try any level of Teaching Textbooks for FREE! Check out the offer below.