Why we’re sticking with virtual math tutoring

I’ve mentioned in a post a few months ago that we started using Wonderland Math for virtual math tutoring. I signed my son up over the summer to make sure he wasn’t slipping in math and started the school year on the right foot. And we continued it in August when schools began virtually. We were afraid that the asynchronous learning would be similar to our spring semester, and be more review than learning. It isn’t, but we’re heading into October and signing up for another month of Wonderland Math!

You can try Wonderland Math for a month, for 50% off your first month.

Our schools actually return to face to face learning this week, but only two days a week. The other three days will be virtual learning (and only two very brief zoom meetings.) It’s not a lot, and I’m not certain how everything is going to play out. My son is in 3rd grade and our state will be testing him at the end of the year – and that sounds a little crazy if he isn’t in a classroom. 

Two weeks ago, we checked my son’s grades (he’s on his 7th week of school) and he has a 100 average. Math tutoring isn’t necessary, but I’m still paying for it…why you might ask? 

Why we’re continuing virtual math tutoring:

The program doesn’t feel like tutoring. It feels like a game, and my son LOVES games. Each week is a new episode – basically the next chapter or next level. And every child is earning points, moving to the next level, but they don’t necessarily need to be on the same exact level as the other kids in their group. (By the way, there are normally 2-3 kids in a group.) 

There is a good mix of reading aloud and problem-solving. The kids are solving problems while trying to get ahead on a virtual game board and since everything is based on this story, the teacher has everyone taking turns reading their parts aloud. My son doesn’t love reading aloud to me, but when I hear him during this hour, I know he’s a strong reader and it makes me feel good he’s being pushed outside of his normal comfort zone.

He is earning gems, which can be used towards real prizes. My son is motivated by prizes, so he’s actually working for something. He earns anywhere from 2 to 7 gems in his hour, and they accumulate in his dashboard. So right now he’s working towards a Lego Movie Maker.

We can work this into his schedule. We started doing this on Tuesdays, switched to Thursdays and now we’re doing Monday evenings. We were with one teacher for a while, had to switch (at the beginning of the school year, everyone’s schedules changed and we moved to a new teacher.) We were with the second teacher for about 3 weeks and I noticed that my son wasn’t quite clicking with her, so I moved him to Mondays with his original teacher – and he lights up when they start working together. 

My husband and I feel that our son is learning something that he may not be getting in school right this moment. With this transition to a hybrid method of learning, things are being left out (and this is not the teacher’s fault. Teachers are juggling a lot.) I don’t want my son to be bored, and I want him to continue to love math. Because this is so fun for him and we know he’s learning, we’ll continue with Wonderland Math for as long as possible. 

You can try Wonderland Math for a month, for 50% off your first month! If you decide after a month, it isn’t quite working for you, you can cancel. Regardless, they will send you a math kit that comes with dice, masks, number tiles, protractor, grid paper and pencil. It’s well worth the money you’ll spend on the trial.