Reflex math online - timed?

[Kanin]

Hi all, 

 

Does anyone know if the Reflex math fluency online is timed? By that I mean, do the math facts appear and then disappear with a time limit (like Xtra Math), or do students have unlimited time to solve each problem?

Thanks!

[Lecka]

Yes they are timed. However they show the answer and then will ask that question again soon and keep reviewing it.

 

My son who has autism is successful, and he is slooooowwww to learn facts.

 

But he doesn't get frustrated with missing an answer or running out of time.

 

It is very good at adjusting to individual kids in my opinion, but if a kid will be frustrated from missing an answer it is that way.

 

It is one where my son can be successful though, and he would never be successful with Xtra Math so my opinion is -- don't lump it together with Xtra Math.

[Lecka]

They do a thing to see how quickly kids type though, so if kids type slower they get more time.

[Lecka]

The way it is set up, first there is a part where it sees what facts to target and which are learned. This is just -- they type in the answer; no feedback; untimed -- the student can press the space bar to skip a problem.

 

Then there are two "Coach Penny Puzzles." This targets a few facts at a time (adapted to the child and the child's learning rate -- my daughter will be given more new facts at a time than my son). The box turns yellow, then red, then it shows the answer. If you miss the same question then it takes you to extra practice on that problem. It does this almost immediately for my son but only after several attempts for my daughter (as she usually doesn't need the extra practice, and my son usually does).

 

Then you go to the games. You have a choice of 3 facts to answer and just answer them to do something in the game. These aren't timed per se but some games need kids to go faster or to answer a certain fact to do what will work out better in the game. In the instructions it recommends some games as easier for students while others are harder, so you can encourage kids to pick certain games. Kids can change games at any time, if a game is too hard my son will just exit immediately and choose a different game. Some games have a strategy and some don't; for games with a strategy it is like -- if you want to move left; you have to answer that fact. For other games you can answer any fact you choose and still do good. It will reset facts too if you miss one -- it doesn't hang kids up that way.

 

The Coach Penny puzzle is timed though but I do consider it gentle and with a lot of review and practice -- so I don't think it as frustrating as you might think from hearing that part is timed. Still for kids who hate to ever miss anything it would be frustrating I think.

[Lecka]

My younger son is doing 2-digit addition with regrouping at school and it is honestly a surprise to the teachers; he is in a group where kids really struggle with math facts. So even though I don't think anything is one-size-fits-all, I really do like it!

 

My older son did Will with Reflex too; but he would get frustrated with missing answers in a way my younger son doesn't.

 

My daughter will complain here and there but she doesn't get upset.

 

At the beginning there are a lot of unknown facts while the program sees what facts kids already know. In some cases I would feel free to just go "space bar space bar space bar" for a kid so it would start them as not knowing any; if they didn't know any, and I didn't want them to feel like they were missing a lot. If you can just say "that's how it's set up" to a kid and the kid won't get upset -- that is what the program recommends iirc.

[Lecka]

Really the best thing is it will go over and over the same problem, and practice it.... it adapts so well imo, from watching it with my kids.

 

It has different ways of helping -- just giving the answering and then re-asking the same question.... filling in some blanks like "____-9="..... and then going to reviewing the fact family and answering questions with the fact family (answering or filling in blanks).... up to typing the problem and answer from memory (but able to click "I don't remember" and see it as often as you want).

 

My son gets all this review on almost every fact. (It will take him at least two sessions of doing this to start to master a fact, my daughter will start to master a fact just when it is introduced as part of a fact family.)

 

My daughter gets shown the answer a time or two if she has forgotten one, and then she has it and will practice it off and on for the rest of the session -- but she rarely or never gets the kind of extra practice my son gets.

Edited November 6, 2017 by Lecka

[Lecka]

Another plus if you have this issue: it *has* helped my son with the fact family concept. It took months before I saw that but now I see -- he gets what a fact family is.

 

He still doesn't seem to use the fact family to help him solve problems he doesn't know (but he does know other answers in the same fact family). But still I definitely have seen progress in his understanding of the concept!!!!

 

For my other two kids -- I don't think understanding that concept was an issue for them; at all; but I think if you have students with that issue it could be a benefit.

 

Negatives are -- maybe some kids honestly get bored of it before going through all the facts. I'm not seeing that with my younger son ---- and having the same predictability and structure is very good for him.

 

My older son did get bored and practiced in other ways at a certain point -- but imo Reflex got him over a hump and did tons for his confidence level. But at a certain point he was tired of the games and saying he would rather practice in other ways.

 

My daughter is asking for Sumdog -- but I am calling her out that she just wants to do subtraction she already knows and not mult/div. She has a school account for Sumdog and maybe I will let her switch to it at some point. She has the easiest time of my kids in learning math facts and could be fine with a lot of things.

Edited November 6, 2017 by Lecka

[Lecka]

Just to compare to Xtra Math -- my experience is with the phone app. It didn't actually teach facts, and it introduced a lot of facts at once. And it just went straight through a bunch of questions.

 

Where for Reflex -- it will only target a small (adapted to the child) amount of facts at a time.

 

For Penny's Puzzle you uncover a part of a picture with evey correct answer, so even though it is just answering problems; it is a lot more engaging than Xtra Math.

 

There is also some built-in motivation with earning coins to buy things from the store.

 

Now for my daughter -- she likes all that, but she could do Xtra Math. She could. I think it would be a shorter amount of time per session for her.

 

My sons just would not do well with it and wouldn't learn as much without the kind of review built in to Reflex.

 

I tried Xtra Math with my younger son and he had behavior issues and I didn't see him making any progress.

 

My daughter could do it, but she does choose Reflex over Xtra Math.

[Lecka]

It is also surprisingly social for my son as he can compare what he buys to what my daughter buys at the store. We can also talk about what he buys, and if he is saving to buy something that costs a lot of coins.

 

This would be a non-issue for many kids, but honestly it is some nice social for my son, and he enjoys that part of it.

Edited November 6, 2017 by Lecka

[Lecka]

And I'm adding another thing, lololol.

 

A negative of untimed *can* be kids sitting there for a long time when one they don't know comes up. That can be frustrating in a different way. My older son could get frustrated by that, too, if too many came up he didn't know.

 

My older had a shorter fuse with math facts in general from feeling like he was bad at them, before he ever did any computer program ---- so that is something where -- Reflex won't fix it, but maybe it can be a better option than some other choices. Or worth a try. It does have a free trial.

 

Luckily my younger two kids have never had that bad relationship with math facts and also they have a different personality.

 

But *now* my older son knows his math facts and there is nothing negative to him about math (as a 7th grader). It is a preferred subject for him.

[Lecka]

https://explorelearning.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/204737114-Can-Reflex-be-slowed-down-

 

Here is a link from the company.

 

Edit: and my take is -- the purpose is to memorize. The purpose isn't to use a number line, manipulatives, or count on fingers.

 

My son has still done all those things. They are good things. Reflex doesn't take away from them.

 

But the purpose is to memorize facts.

 

I think for practice with using counting strategies -- number lines and manipulatives are good. My son has also learned Touch Math at school.

 

But he has to drill on fluency and on not having long pauses (they call it latency) in other areas -- and I think this is a good method, it has good prompting, it has good scaffolding.

 

It is the same for responding to a question -- there is a time to let him think, and then there is a time when he is doing better but functionally he needs to do it faster.

 

He does also use a hundreds chart and tens frame. He has had an easier time with understanding some of the concepts with them as his math facts have improved, but at the same time -- he has done a lot with number sense. He has had a lot of quality tutoring with quality methods. He is just slow and he does need to include drill.

 

And it is hard to keep track of how often to review flash cards and when to introduce new ones, it is much easier to have the computer program do it than for me to get a flash card in place to have frequent review of it.

 

Right now he is only lacking 13-9=4. The -9s are hard for him and I haven't been able to explain the concept of "subtract 10 then add 1." He doesn't get that yet. I have tried and I try periodically. My other kids can understand that. So it makes it harder for him.

Edited November 7, 2017 by Lecka

[Kanin]

Thanks so much! This is all really helpful. Many of my students have "no timed testing" in their IEPs, so it turns out I can't use Reflex :-( I really want something that individualizes like Reflex, though. I know that I can have them practice fact fluency with me, but it's tough when every kid struggles with different facts. I also don't want to take up a ton of time with fluency, which is why the iPads are ideal. I'd want something that's 10 minutes total, from getting iPads to putting them away. Fact fluency so so crucial! I can already see the ones who have half their multiplication facts doing their work so much more quickly than the ones who don't. 

[Lecka]

Oh, that's too bad! Reflex is more like 15-20 minutes for a session, too.

[Kanin]

I know, bummer - thanks for all the great info, though! Maybe I can use it someday!

[Lecka]

Good luck! My older son and daughter have done Sumdog at school and like it, but I don't know much about it. That is the only other one I am very familiar with.

 

My daughter could probably do the "addition facts that stick" type of stuff, I have watched a video for that and done some with it.

 

The thing is my younger son does not pick it up. I think he can pick it up, but it's like -- he will pick it up easier after he already knows the facts. Then it can click.

 

It is just a process for him bc conceptual is also hard for him.

 

But if you have kids who are poor memorizers but do understand conceptually, I think you might have more options.

 

But you may be doing that kind of thing already, and just need a easy way for kids to practice!