REVIEW: TenMarks Math Online Learning

~Strong Foundation 
Strong Future
Website:  HERE
  
Ages: Elem 3rd gr-HS~Alg 2 and Geometry
Cost: $10 mo subscription
I say:  Useful and Helpful

I received a subscription to TENMarks online math learning website as part of The Old Schoolhouse CREW review team in exchange for my honest opinions with no monetary compensation. My opinions are my own.

I'm the GAL with math terror~remember ME?  Well, it's been my quest to find the perfect program that will really teach math to my kids and lesson the burden placed upon me~something about just looking at numbers and my palms sweat, heart races and my brain TURNS TO MUSH~Soo when we were asked to review TENMarks, I sighed...oh no! NOT an online math program~HOW AM I GONNA do that? AND can I get my kiddos intrested~DID THEY inherit this dreaded math terror? ? ?

Well, as it happened, Boy Thing One (God bless him!) got finished with his preAlgebra studies with our current math program and so we had some time to work TENMarks and give it a go~  I set the program up for him and each day reminded him to do lessons~

Here's what the site says:

TENMarks is the only online math program that helps students refresh, learn, and master math concepts - in their own time, at their own pace. Each child receives a personalized curriculum to help them master the concepts quickly.

Here's some of the features of TENMArks:

• Online learning~
• Math videos that can be played over and over~
• Hints available while working the worksheets~
• Customizable learning~parents can assign topics~
• REWARDS~kids get to earn online games as they complete work~AND certificates of completion which are pretty cool if you'd like to print them for your child.
• Email reminders to do worksheets with the assigned dates to parents~
• A PLACE ON HOLD button for stopping the worksheet generator progression if you need to slow it up~
• Testing throughout as well as initial Assessment for placement~

Okay~sooo HOW did this grumpy, attitudinal TEENAGER do given he was just coming out of preAlgebra and had never truly seen some of this stuff~First, he seemed to like that it went fairly fast~he could do a lesson in 1/2 an hour or less.  As a parent, I'm not sure how effective this was~and if he had found some loopholes~he's prone to do that...but some lessons he scored the TEN and others he was less~I PUT into place that he needed at least a NINE to progress...sometimes he didn't make it, but I also noticed that he wasn't watching the instructional videos either.  I had to go back and remind him and literally insist.  Perhaps they ought to play ANYWAY whether a kiddo thinks he needs them or not and THEN be available for a re-run!  This Mama thinks so! But he did end up earning some certificates, which I did print and are pretty cool looking~but as for the games, they were a wash. I have no real way to ck this behind him~it's set up pretty independently, but he says he played the racing game and the warehouse game. Okay, just so you know, there are games that are earned as lessons/worksheets are completed. But for a teenager~particularly THIS BOY, they were...well....ineffective as a motivator. I quote:  "I can play them in my sleep!" Oh brother! I have no way to know this either~but IF it didn't motivate him, it just didn't.  Okay, he also said that he has 'these' games on a disk..dunno...really don't..but either way~it didn't motivate him at 15...BUT for a younger kid, they would most likely work to play the games~sooo if you are push pull tugging and towing a teen, just know that the games may or may not be a motivator~but kudos to TENMarks for attempting to MOTIVATE~I like this a lot!

I am thankful for this opportunity as it has helped my son prepare and practice. I am unsure that TENMarks would adequately teach my son Algebra I, but for sure that it did give him some introductory information and practice~I guess I've just become a believer in text books and loads of paper and pencil power~

Another positive is that I like the pricing. Of course, SisterT advocates shopping the market for any product, but I like the subscription pricing~YES I DO~this could work for my budget whether I used TENMarks for the full coursework OR supplemental~LOVE IT!

Thanks for stopping by and go            to ck out the CREW about TENMarks!