There is an abundance of resources available to homeschoolers, which range in price, ongoing commitment and impact. Textbooks, eBooks, and online programs are just some of the many options, making it hard to know which will best suit your child. 

We have researched the best homeschooling maths resources on the market to find the four most important things to look out for when selecting a new resource. 

A diagnostic test to create detailed student learning profiles and personalised content

Rote learning is common and often caused by the pace of a class, the use of older resources or disengagement. Developing a detailed map of your child’s maths knowledge is a great strategy to avoid rote learning. Research shows that students learn best when they’re learning the content at their level. They often become more engaged, more confident in their abilities, and more interested in the subject when they learn this way. This leads to mastery learning so students have a deep understanding of concepts. 

The best way to uncover your child’s learning level is through an adaptive diagnostic test that uses a sequence of questions to determine understanding of each concept across every stage. This test should provide a detailed report outlining their gaps and competencies, which generates their learning profile, personalised content and learning path.  

High quality content

Learning content is best when it’s regularly reviewed and updated to ensure the content is accurate and easy to understand. The most efficient way to analyse the effectiveness of learning content is by collecting data as students complete their work. 

There are three main areas to look out for:

• Time spent on questions: how long is it taking your child to move through a topic? Is this too long or too short and does this suggest the activity is too easy or hard?
• Where are they getting stuck: Is there a particular question that isn’t clearly worded? Is the question too hard? Or does there need to be more scaffolding?
• How they went with the assessment: is the topic at the right level for them?

The answers to these questions will help decipher if the content being assigned is at the right level for your child’s learning needs. 

Promotes fluency with spaced repetition

Spaced repetition is a learning technique that involves reviewing learned information at increasing intervals of time. This technique takes advantage of the psychological phenomenon known as the spacing effect, which was first researched over 100 years ago by psychologist Hermann Eddinghaus. This approach to learning is highly effective as it commits information to long-term memory, assisting quick recall and encouraging mastery over rote learning.   

A reporting tool that aligns with your state’s reporting requirements 

A homeschooling program should illustrate clear growth and progression across every concept with a reporting tool that meets your state’s homeschooling requirements. This will reduce the hours you’ll spend gathering proof of lessons, curriculum-aligned resources, and assessments, so you can focus on what really matters, your kids! 

So, where can you find a program that encompasses all these features and more? 

Maths Pathway at Home! The leading homeschooling program for maths in Australia. We identify every child’s learning gaps from the start, so they can work on filling them and creating a solid foundation from which more maths learning can grow.

We’re currently offering a two week free trial so that you can experience the impact of Maths Pathway at Home.