FlexMath
Strong vision for improved learning in math; digital tool falls short
Teachers can use the FlexMath lessons to help explain math concepts to the whole class or in small groups. In a flipped classroom environment, students could preview the lessons at home and work on learning the key vocabulary associated with each lesson. Practice exercises could likely be done at home or at school.
In the classroom, working on the exercises in pairs could help enhance math conversations. Teachers can use data from the website to check for students' understanding and plan next steps for instruction. FlexMath would also be a useful extension for students that are aspiring to explore more advanced math concepts.
Continue readingFlexMath's free lesson plans and activities are designed to support middle and high school students' algebraic thinking. The site is currently adding new material -- at the time of review it has 84 algebra lessons, 5 geometry lessons, and a comprehensive set of mental math activities.
Students can browse and access the content on their own, or teachers can set up groups and assign content from the calendar page. Lessons are sorted by subject area -- however, there isn't any mention of Common Core State Standards, or any other standards, on the site.
Continue readingFlexMath's best uses come with its solid approach to teaching algebra and mental math. Each lesson is divided into several parts including: presentation, exercises, practice, conclusion. The introductions for each lesson are a great way to set the stage for new learning concepts. However, while the site's blended-learning approach is nice, it isn't always clear which activities are intended for online completion, and which ones are paper-based. It would also be a bonus if content could be more accessible to English learners, and those with differing learning styles.
Setting up a class is fairly straightforward, but there are a few unnecessary obstacles. Teachers can't add students directly to their FlexMath groups. Instead, students must add themselves, providing an email address to FlexMath for account setup. Also, an easier way for teachers to assign and assess students' work would be nice. Teachers might find it helpful if they could mix and match lesson from all three subject areas on one calendar.
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Teacher Reviews
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This site provides lots of great examples in Algebra, with the other areas lacking a little. As a teacher, you can find the exact concept that you need and to pull it up quickly and begin using it. These lessons are meant to be teacher led with a teacher working with the students to work through each lesson. Vocabulary is another great factor, providing essential vocabulary for each lesson - would have been better if it had also provided definitions for the vocabulary given. This site has very little interactivity with examples and problems given having to still be worked out on pencil and paper by the students instead of online. The practice problems and the homework problems provided match the lesson well, however there is no 'overall assessment' provided at the end to give students feedback on how well they did. Also, while working on the practice problems there is no way for students to be able to tell which of the examples on the page they have wrong. It ends up being a 'game show' type of situation where you have to change your answers randomly until you get them all correct. There should be specific feedback on which one is wrong to help students figure out where they made their mistakes. Overall, it is a great basic curriculum for teachers to use as a supplement to what they are already teaching. Could be made much better by adding additional interactivity or some video lessons to go with what is already provided.
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