Prodigy as main maths

[kiwik]

For ease I am going to use US grades.  I have a child who learns easily but doesn't really like to be taught or to drill.  Last year he quit Prodigy because it asked him questions on time and measurement too often (it helped a bit when I got him switched from the US system to metric though).  A few weeks ago he asked to work on those topics so he could play again.  We did and he did.  He now gets 100% on those and he has been reassessed and put up a grade (he is still the same 2 years ahead).  I am considering just letting him keep on until hits another road block and then using MM worksheets to cover that - rinse and repeat.  At least until he gets to where he can do MEP7 which was I think the end of 5th for my oldest.  My younger is older for grade so will be older than ds11 but he is also less persistent.

I have to work 30 hours a week and am single with 2 kids so him being happy to do maths by himself (we will do games together though) would help and not feeling rushed seems to help him a lot.

I would love to do full classical but after 18 months I think it has to be maths as above for now, Wordsmith Apprentice with me but later becoming beside me plus as much reading and exercise as we can manage.  He does tap and ballet now and they are helping a lot with self regulation.  I hope to add more formal history and science in next year or the year after (Feb to Dec year in NZ). Can I have feedback because I am really conflicted.

[kristin0713]

I don't think Prodigy should be used as a main math program.  If you want something computer based, what about CTC Math or even Teaching Textbooks?  Prodigy is designed to be a reinforcement.  It does not give math instruction, except the "hints".  

[silver]

With my kids, Prodigy tends to skip around too much. Even though it advances them in grade level, there are topics they've never touched on. You could use the teacher override to set plans to make sure he covers the topics you want. But with the lack of teaching, it could cause problems further on. 

[sweet2ndchance]

I don't think you could or should use Prodigy as your only maths curriculum, especially not for an older elementary or early middle school child. It doesn't really teach much, just review. It's fun and my son loves it, but I'm sitting right next to him the whole time and we have math manipulatives and a dry erase board on the computer desk with us while he plays so that we can discuss a problem and solve it together if necessary. But my son is the type of learner where I can show him how to step through the problem the first time that kind of problem comes up and then the next time it comes up, I just have to ask him, "Ok, what do we do next?" He catches on really quick most of the time. He is also usually really good at making connections and seeing similarities between problem types and then using that to hypothesize what to do in the new problem. This type of learning would not have worked well with my older kids or when I had multiple students still at home.

When he has a problem type that I think he needs more work on, I make that the basis of our next lesson. We still do lessons separately from the work he does on Prodigy. My youngest son, the one using Prodigy, doesn't mind the skipping around. It fact it keeps it interesting for him. He doesn't like when it stays on one topic for too long but some of my older kids would have been bothered by jumping around like it does. You can control the jumping around to a degree if you have a teacher account. You can make assignments and such so that it stays on one or more topics and doesn't skip around through all the math topics available.

Just as a side note: In my experience, I don't find Prodigy's grade level designations all that useful. It says my son (just turned 6) is working at a 3rd grade level but he is most definitely not in my opinion. He has answered some third grade level questions correctly but not nearly enough for me to consider him working competently at a 3rd grade level. I'd say he is at a solid first grade, maybe even late first grade level or early second grade but not third grade. If I pulled out a third grade level textbook for him to start working through, he could not do the math required competently. I like that Prodigy gives him the chance to try solving questions at multiple levels of difficulty but I don't like whatever algorithm they are using to determine a child's grade level. So I take Prodigy's grade levels with a grain of salt.

[SoCal_Bear]

I would say this would be a problem as Prodigy isn't meant to teach math. It's designed for math practice for skills already learned.

If you need it fairly independent, perhaps you should look at an online program like Aleks, CTC Math, etc.

 

[kiwik]

I don't really want to use a computer programme at all.  It is just that he is sort of resistant to being taught.  He was a couple of years ahead when he left school so the assessment probably isn't far off.  We wouldn't using it to teach just find weak spots to work on rather that go through stuff he already knows.

 

But yes what you are saying is what I thought.  Maybe I will buy MM 4A and just test him out of some sections.

[wendyroo]

If you are experiencing any math resistance, then MM4 might not be your best best. Oh, my goodness is that book a slog.  Level 4 is just boom, boom, boom, multi-digit multiplication, long divide, decimals, with even some of the “lighter” topics being elapsed time and fractions.  They just keeping hitting you with one conceptually challenging and arithmatically difficult topic after another.

That’s not to say I think it is bad.  Both of my very maths older boys successfully got through it, but not without quite a bit of whining. 

It just might be a hard sell it DS is already opposed to being taught math. 

Wendy

[kiwik]

Mmm now you have mentioned it I have heard that. That is a valid point.  He is not opposed to doing maths just listening to anybody explain.  I have a bunch of MM topic books I used for afterschooling his brother plus a New Zealand text book.  Maybe I could combine them.  I think I may have to accept he is not a very linear learner (I have known this for years but it gets more obvious not less).  The one thing he consistently likes is word problems so maybe I will try and add more in.  He can still do Prodigy along with music practice while I check emails.

[Jackie]

Beast Academy is taught directly to the student and has their online version up and running as well.

i have less objection to using Prodigy as a main math program for a season than others do. No, it doesn’t teach, but it doesn’t sound like you expect it to. It sounds like you’re using it as a screening tool to find the areas he actually needs taught in. My biggest issue with Prodigy is that there’s a lot of “filler” in the time it takes, so if DD played Prodigy for 30 minutes, she only did maybe 10 minutes (at most) of actual math. She played for fun, so it was no big deal. If I was trying to use it as a main math program, it would have consumed a lot of time to get through relatively little math.

[Sarah0000]

Would he do better with discovery based math? If it's only for a little while maybe you can do something like pattern block or geoboard programs found at RR (sorry I can't link right now) along with Prodigy and maybe a CTC workbook or Singapore CWP once a week.

[kiwik]

We tried Beast Academy online when it first came out but we could have another go.  He was finding it either two easy or too hard but he has matured.

I am happy with maths and teaching maths and he learns maths easily though not quite the same as Ds11 and I.

I have SM CWP 3, Borac plus a couple of other things.  I think I am really using Prodigy as a check list.  

 

[kiwik]

Yes Prodigy does have a lot of filler which has always been my objections to such programmes too but at the moment filler that is somewhat educational is OK.  I would love to get him to watch documentaries instead but he needs me there for that.  Maybe next year.