Today we’re going to meet Melanie. She’s a homeschooling mom living in South Africa with her family of four. She wants to see her daughters enjoying Maths, so she recently decided to try out Smartick.
Melanie starts her post by confessing that Maths is not her favourite subject, so she doesn’t feel 100% confident when teaching it to her children. She wrote this post about their experience with Smartick.
Why We Love Smartick Method
- Smartick Method is not a standalone maths curriculum.
“It is a programme that helps children practice their maths skills in an enjoyable way”
- Each student has a timed session in which they practice maths skills according to their individual maths level.
- As they progress they earn “ticks”, which they can use in their home section to buy accessories for their avatars, pets, or houses. The girls both spent all their first “ticks” at once, despite being urged to save up for the cooler items. Angie has since learned to think a bit more carefully about spending hers, but Emmy isn’t quite as restrained. After their first shopping spree, I had to institute the rule that they could only spend their “ticks” on Fridays.
- When the session is over, they get a chance to correct any wrong answers. If all their corrections are made, they earn an extra “tick”. Angie always does her corrections; Emmy would rather just go straight to her home page to explore.
“The girls love it so much that I’m using it as an incentive for good behaviour”
Enjoying Maths with Smartick Method
Both Angie and Emmy were quick to get comfortable with using the programme, and both seem to be enjoying it.
Angie is using Smartick quite independently. She doesn’t need me to read the questions to her, and it’s only if there’s a problem that she hasn’t seen before that she asks for an explanation. Some of the problems have been concepts that we haven’t yet covered in their homeschool, but she’s grasped them quickly enough.
The girls were thrilled when they got their first “diplomas”. Of course, their assessments fell on different days so there was the expected drama of why one had a diploma already and the other didn’t.
Other Smartick Features
Smartick Method is an online programme so you will need a reliable Internet connection. If you unexpectedly close the page in the midst of a session, it automatically pauses and you can pick up where you left off.
A report is emailed after each session so you can see what concepts each child worked on and how well they did.
They work on a laptop, but it might be easier on an iPad; especially for younger students who might struggle with the mouse. If Emmy is working on a problem that requires objects to be dragged into place, she’ll trace its path on the screen with her finger.
Smartick boasts the latest Artificial Intelligence to adapt to each child’s learning level and pace. While it is mostly maths-related problem-solving and critical thinking skills that are exercised, the student also improves her reading comprehension.
The ideal age range is between 4 and 14 years old. The goal is to help children understand maths while learning to love it. We recommend doing at least five days a week in order to build a habit of consistency, develop a good work ethic, and improve their concentration.
Finally, Melanie encourages her readers to try out Smartick for free. Why not check it out for yourself?
Learn More:
- Maths with the Smartick Method
- How to Get Your Kids to Enjoy Maths
- Improving Math Skills One Fun Session at a Time with Smartick
- Smartick Learning Maths Method: Meet Mama B Review
- “I Chose Smartick to Reinforce Homework”
Evelyn is part of the marketing team at Smartick. She loves going out in the mountains as often as she can, and her dream is to get her children to love learning and discovering new places to travel as much as she does.
- Living Life Our Way: Online Maths Platform Review - 10/03/2017
- Enjoying Maths with Smartick Method - 09/03/2017
- How to Get Your Kids to Enjoy Maths - 08/15/2017
My daughter is struggelling with maths, she’s taking math literacy. I need help plz. She’s in grade10
Hi Meloney,
Don´t hesitate to get started on your free trial. Make sure that she works on it consistently, focused and unaided to get the most out of the Smartick method! Feel free to contact our team at [email protected] if you have specific questions about her sessions.
Thanks!
Can you not create a app for tablets as I can not download load it as it says device not compatible.
Hi Tandy,
Smartick is not optimized to be performed through phones as the size of the screen can hinder your experience. We recommend using a computer through browsers Chrome or Firefox, or a tablet (recommended from 9 inches on) through the application available for Android (from 4.1 ) and iOS (from iOS 8.0).
You can download the Smartick app for iPad from the Apple Store. For Android tablets, you can search the Google Play Store. If you prefer using a tablet, we recommend using the Smartick app to get the best user experience.
Thanks!