You have no idea how happy I was when I found out about this website from a report on 60 Minutes. My kids are in elementary school and I’m already having trouble helping them with their math homework. It’s very, very humbling, not to mention frustrating, when I honestly can’t remember how to do some of the stuff I supposedly learned in grade school.
So… if you’re like me and find yourself stumped by some of the math homework, check this out. It’s called Khan Academy and it’s a FREE non-profit website where math wizards have recorded thousands of video tutorials that will refresh your math memory and also help your kids understand math concepts. (I’m going to start watching the videos with my kids.) It starts with basic arithmetic and goes all the way up to very advanced, complex mathematical problems including calculus.
During the report by 60 Minutes, they said Bill Gates uses this website to help his kids understand their math homework. I don’t know about you, but if it’s good enough for Bill’s kids, I’d say it’s good enough for mine, too.
Some schools in California are actually using this website in the classroom to improve students’ math performance. It’s a fascinating new way to look at education. If you have time, watch the report about this site on 60 Minutes by clicking here. Pretty exciting, inspiring stuff.
Here’s an example of one of the tutoring videos. I picked one on “multiplying fractions” so you can see how well the teacher explains the concept. Click HERE to see it.
When you go to the site, click the “watch a video” button and then choose a subject. For elementary kids, you’ll want to scroll down to the arithmetic sections. Hope this helps you and your kids during homework time. Bookmark it so you’ll have it for next fall, too!
