Math Can “B” Simple

As a part of the Schoolhouse Review Crew, our family has been able to use Professor B Math for several weeks.  Professor B Math is an online math tutoring program which touts itself as a program to help a parent / teacher become an ‘instant master teacher.’ It is not a typical online learning experience.  We have become accustomed to online learning with a lot of bells and whistles.  Professor B is very different.

With Professor B, there is a teaching character (the Bee) who represents the parent/teacher.  There is no sound to this program (and this is clearly mentioned in the FAQ part of the website along with the rationale behind the decision to have no sound).  Conversational bubbles appear on the screen from the Bee and the parent/teacher is supposed to read each bubble to the student.  Basically, the parent is the sound.  In each lesson, students are taken through the steps to solve a different type of math program and are given sample problems to work through.  Once a lesson is completed, the student can complete printed workbook pages to reinforce the learning. There are three levels to Professor B.  We mainly used level 3, but did use a bit from level 2 as review.  Here are a few of the concepts covered in each level:

LEVEL I
Pre-k though 2nd graders and remediation of older learners. Introduction to Addition/Subtraction Facts - Counting to One Hundred - Lower Addition and Subtraction - Higher Addition and Subtraction - Place Value Fractional Parts & Order - Time - Money

LEVEL II
3rd grade through 5th grade and remediation of older learners. Multiplication/Division Facts and Problem Solving - Introduction to Fractions - Fractional Equivalence - Addition and Subtraction Fractions

LEVEL III
6th through 8th grades and remediation of older learners. Multiplication/Division of Fractions - Decimals - Percents

We received all three levels of Professor B.  These levels effectively cover Pre-k through grade 8 (or older if remediation is needed).  From a financial standpoint, this program does give a good value for the money.  The price is changing (although the website is not changed yet) to $100 for 3 years access to each level.  To take advantage of this price, customers need to call 678-765-6655 and place their order over the phone.

Overall, we have had mixed feelings about Professor B.  My rising 6th grader absolutely refused to do lessons with the computer after we tried it a few times.  She reads well enough that it moved much too slowly for her with me reading to her.  She also thought it was too ‘baby’ for me to read it to her.  However, I downloaded and printed the workbooks, and she was able to enjoy working through those with very little instruction.  I could explain a concept to her on paper and then she would run with it.  We will be continuing to use the workbooks to reinforce and review concepts, but will not be utilizing the website.  It isn’t a good fit for us. For me, as a teacher with more than 25 years experience, the way the website works for lessons is not a good fit at all.  I have never been the type of teacher to use a scripted lesson, and that is exactly what Professor B is.  I can definitely see benefits to the scripted lessons.  This would be a great fit for someone who is not confident in math or in teaching.  It is very simple to use and is a foolproof teaching method.

If you are curious about Professor B, you can visit the Professor B website and examine the philosophy behind the program and even let your child take a placement test for free to see where he/she could work in Professor B. 

Many of my friends on the Schoolhouse Review Crew also used Professor B and have written reviews which can be accessed by going to the main crew blog. 

**As a member of the Schoolhouse Review Crew, I received all 3 levels of Professor B at no charge to me in exchange for an honest review.  All opinions expressed are from me and/or my children.**