For homeschooling moms, math is often the hardest subject to teach. To explain math processes in a way that kids will understand and actually remember isn’t for the faint of heart.
No matter how hard you try, sometimes it’s simply easier to learn through other avenues.
Hours of frustration were beginning to take their toll on our family. No matter how patient I tried to be, it just wasn’t happening. I knew that for my sake, as well as my kids’, I needed to figure something out.
In my quest to give my math-teaching responsibilities to someone else, I found an option that looked promising: CTC Online Math.
I instantly fell in love with many of the features of CTC. The online math program offered lessons that were pain-free and helped my kids actually enjoy math.
{Note: I received a one year subscription to CTC and was compensated for my time. That, however, does not automatically guarantee a positive review. As always, I only recommend products I truly love and would genuinely recommend to my friends.}
10 Reasons We Love CTC Online Math
Price:
As a homeschool family on a tight budget, this is always the first thing I look for when searching for curriculum. There’s no point in researching a curriculum that my kids will love if it’s completely out of my price range. With CTC’s online math program, homeschool families can purchase a one year membership for only $118.80 and register up to 10 kids! For less than the price of other popular video math curriculum, you can educate the whole family for an entire year.
Teaches to Mastery:
While some families prefer to teach to mastery, other prefer spiral learning. The choice is completely personal. I do think it’s important to understand what teaching to mastery means, though. When teaching to mastery, you teach lessons on one single topic until the child has mastered that. Therefore, when learning your times tables, you will have to master your 3’s before moving on to your 4’s. With a spiral approach, the 3’s would be introduced today, and you would also review 1’s and 2’s. You will continue to build and review on previous lessons, while slowly introducing new concepts. For us, it’s a personal preference. One of my daughters loves mastery, while the other hates it. She felt like it took her forever to learn long division using the mastery approach. To each their own.
Easy To Understand Videos that are Accessible Anywhere:
The lessons in CTC’s online math curriculum are taught in simple, easy to understand videos. Math is hard enough for kids to understand that adding in big words, hard-to-grasp concepts and information overload is a sure-fire way to discourage kids. The fact that we can access CTC’s online math program anywhere with WiFi is a huge bonus. During an overnight stay in a hotel, we were all unwinding with some”technology time.” After noticing an extra quiet Miss Manners, I asked her what videos she was watching on her Kindle Fire. I wrongly assumed it was a creepy clown eating pizza with his feet or something equally entertaining on YouTube. You can imagine how shocked I was when she said she was doing math! (This was meant to be a “school-free” trip, and I hadn’t even brought our laptops! Had we needed CD’s, she wouldn’t have been able to take it upon herself to do math as her way of “unwinding” after a day of driving.)
Time Efficient:
Each video is short and to the point. You don’t need to worry about the kiddos growing bored or getting distracted. The video lessons only last between 3 and 10 minutes, depending on the grade level. Working on the Pre-Algebra level, we’ve discovered most videos still only last about 3 minutes. With colorful fonts and simple instructions, it’s easy to see why kids can’t help but pay attention to the lecture.
Grows Confidence:
If you’ve ever dealt with a kiddo who struggles with math, you know how hard it can be to keep their morale up. While some curriculum can leave them feeling about the size of a bug, CTC’s online math program helps to not only build their confidence but keep it. Using the mastery approach, kids can move forward once they’ve mastered a skill. There is no reviewing it again, day after day, while also smashing every ounce of confidence they gain.
Immediate Feedback:
No need to wait until the end of the lesson to see how you’re doing. CTC lets kids know immediately if they got the correct answer. My kids know that if they miss 3 questions in a row, they need to either rewatch the lecture or ask for some help. (This is a personal preference. You can also change the “passing” grade to the number you prefer. Many people insist on 90% or above to “pass” but I don’t.)
Motivational Rewards:
Kids can earn rewards while working hard and learning. Striving for 100% on questions can earn bronze, silver, gold or platinum certificates. Another motivator is allowing your kids to change their settings in the student portal. My kids love messing around with different colored backgrounds. It makes the online math program feel more personal and gives them ownership.
Move at Your Own Pace:
Miss Manners (9) is itching to graduate early so she can get started on college ahead of time. She has big dreams of being a veterinarian and knows that college will take many long, long years. This spring, she asked if she could continue to do math through the summer, so she could be “ahead” of other kids her age. Of course, this isn’t an issue for me at all, as long as she’s really learning the material. With CTC’s online math curriculum, she can work at her own pace, allowing her to charge ahead as much as she wants.
“Lessons” Limit Kids:
As Miss Manners is charging ahead, she can work ahead on whatever she wants. Each task has to be done, but not necessarily in order. She enjoys skipping around, learning what she finds easiest first, then coming back to complete the lessons she skipped. With our previous curriculum, she would limit herself to 2 “lessons” per day. With CTC, she charges forward, without limiting herself. I’ve found that not having “lessons” has done wonders for her. Now she stops doing math when she’s tired of it, not at the end of the lesson. She’s moving ahead quickly and will be on the fast-track to becoming a veterinarian if she keeps up her momentum.
Super Simple for Moms:
As with any curriculum, one huge factor is deciding to use CTC’s online math curriculum is the simplicity and prep-time needed. CTC has outdone themselves on making a curriculum that moms will fall in love with. Each week, I can assign tasks to my kids with just the click of a button. They easily know what needs completed and I don’t have to worry about it anymore. Each lesson is self-grading and keeps records for me! Once a week, I receive a detailed report on the work that has been completed. It takes merely a minute to look at it, see how my children are progressing and where they’re struggling. Easy peasy!
If your homeschool needs an overhaul, I highly suggest checking out CTC’s full online math curriculum. It’s transformed our homeschool with its quick and easy videos and affordable price tag!
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