Math website helps Region 8 students learn

By Brandi Hodges - bio | email

IMBODEN, AR (KAIT) – If your child struggles with their math homework we may have a solution!  For the past three years several Region 8 schools have worked together to build a website that helps students and parents better understand math.

When they leave the classroom, not every student leaves fully understanding what they've just been taught.

"Parents can sit there with their child and help them step by step learning geometry," said Federal Programs Coordinator for Sloan Hendrix Mike Baker.

The website is available for free for anyone that wants to use it to help students with math.

"If a student is absent and they miss instruction they can go on the website and see what they missed," said teacher Tara Walker.

"If you didn't get it the first time or something happened and you forgot it you have a method of being re-instructed.  The number one thing is you don't want to practice something the wrong way," said Baker.

Algebra and geometry are both tested at the end of the year.  Even for students who do have a grasp on the subject, the website can be used as a refresher.

"They can go home they have the website they can do a few problems they can pause turn it off and then go back," said Spanish facilitator Angelica Clem.

It can also help parents help their children.

"The constant thing I could hear is I don't know how to help my child with their homework," said Baker.

Three years of grants from the Northeast Arkansas Education Cooperative have funded the development and implementation of the website.

"It's for everybody in the entire state.  It's for the United States, it's for anybody overseas that wants to use it," said Baker.

The Spanish facilitator at Sloan Hendrix is helping translate the lessons into Spanish to reach more students.  Her sister in Panama uses it to teach her students.

"They try and they call back and say, 'We love it and the student love it', and what's most important is the student," said Clem.

This summer math teacher Tara Walker went to different parts of the state teaching other teachers how to use the website.

"Every teacher in the workshop created one, two some even created three lessons to go on the website," said Walker.

Another way the school is helping students embrace math is by having a math night next week.  Multiple members of the community will come in to tell students how they use math everyday.

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