The day my self-proclaimed math-hating daughter told me she liked the math class she was taking, I realized I might be onto something. That something was Mr. D Math, an online math curriculum and virtual classroom.
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Mr. D shows students that math is more than a set of rules you must memorize. #ihsnet #mrdmath @MrDmath Click To Tweet
In a former life, I was a high school math teacher. I spent hours planning exciting ways to share all my knowledge with young minds who didn’t really want to be in my class. So, I thought when I began homeschooling that my daughter would love math, too. I imagined days of us solving puzzles and laughing gaily while answering word problems. There was just one problem.
My daughter hates math.
After years of always being at odds (yes, I know…math humor) when it came to math, I decided something had to give. Our relationship as mother and daughter was beginning to deteriorate because of this one subject. This is not what I signed up for when I started homeschooling. I realized that I needed to find a way she could learn this “hated subject” and me not be the initiator of the torture. I needed a new teacher.
I needed Mr. D Math.
How Mr. D Saved The Day
When I was introduced to Mr. D’s math curriculum, I was unsure that I wanted to try an online class. We had previously used online courses for other subjects and two of my three kids were not fans (L-, the math hater was one of them). But, I decided to give it a try. To coax L- into trying it out with me, I promised her that she only had to work through the Pre-Algebra course for one day. I gave her the option to go back to her old math the next day.
It so happened that I had to be out of the house on the day she began working through the curriculum. So, I was a bit worried about what I would find when I came home. What I found was a child who informed me that she liked the class she took. She understood the lesson and she had aced the online quiz.
I was shocked.
It seems that while I was out, she had easily learned to navigate the site and had worked through, not one, but two different lessons.
What is Mr. D Math?
The Mr. D in Mr. D Math is Dennis DiNoia, a former public school teacher with a background in business and counseling. He left the public school arena to create his own math curriculum with programs from Pre-Algebra to ACT Prep. His curriculum is designed for homeschoolers to work independently with lessons, quizzes, assignments, and solutions. There are two different options in the curriculum. You can choose a self-paced curriculum or a live class.
Self-Paced Option
In the self-paced option, the student logs into the site and is given a list of lessons for the year. Throughout the session, Mr. D messages the student to check in and let them know where they should be for a completion date for that semester. Obviously, the student can set their own pace, but many need that little extra nudge to finish in a set time frame.Inside the lesson, the student will watch a video. This video can be viewed as many times as the student needs, as well as paused so the student can take notes. Another great feature of Mr. D Math is that an outline for Notes is provided. For my middle-school student, this was fabulous. She has never had to take notes and this laid the groundwork for her to become a note-taker.
This video is an example of a self-paced class.After the lesson, students are directed to an online quiz. These quizzes will be recorded in their class grade. There are also extra help sessions provided once a week where students can log in and talk directly to Mr. D.
In the self-paced option, the student logs into the site and is given a list of lessons for the year. Throughout the session, Mr. D messages the student to check in and let them know where they should be for a completion date for that semester. Obviously, the student can set their own pace, but many need that little extra nudge to finish in a set time frame.
Inside the lesson, the student will watch a video. This video can be viewed as many times as the student needs, as well as paused so the student can take notes. Another great feature of Mr. D Math is that an outline for Notes is provided. For my middle-school student, this was fabulous. She has never had to take notes and this laid the groundwork for her to become a note-taker.
After the lesson, students are directed to an online quiz. These quizzes will be recorded in their class grade. There are also extra help sessions provided once a week where students can log in and talk directly to Mr. D.Live On-Line Class
Just before the live session begins, each student receives an email with an invitation to join the class. By clicking the link, you are directed to the online classroom. In the class, you will be able to interact with Mr. D and other classmates, if you choose. You may choose not to add video to your session (in case you are still in your PJ’s like some of us in this house).
While Mr. D is explaining the concept, a whiteboard will appear on the screen where the student will be able to follow along with the examples. Also, a private chat box is open that the student can use to answer Mr. D’s questions or ask their own.
What My Daughter Likes About Mr. D Math
L- is not usually a fan of online courses, so I was curious what she thought about this format. She liked the lessons and felt they were easy to follow. She was also very happy that she could understand the concepts and loved the note outline provided in the self-paced program. And, she especially liked Mr. D.
What Mom Likes About Mr. D Math
Mr. D teaches math as a language. As a former math teacher, this appeals to me. My students had often decided by high school that they were not “math people” and never would be because they didn’t understand math. By teaching math as a language, Mr. D shows students that math is more than a set of rules you must memorize. It is a living, flowing language that can be easily interpreted once you know how to read it.
But, by far the best benefit of Mr. D Math is the freedom it has given us as a mother and daughter. No longer am I the drill sergeant forcing her to do her math. Now I am an aide and counselor. Mr. D is her guide on this new math adventure and I am able to be Mom again.
Where Can You Find Mr. D Math?
The product we reviewed was Pre-Algebra, but Mr. D offers programs in the following:
- Pre-algebra
- Algebra I
- Geometry
- Algebra II
- Pre-Calculus with Trigonometry
- TEST PREP: SAT Math Bootcamp or ACT Math Bootcamp
- And, more recently, American Sign Language and Life Skills
My one regret? That I didn’t find Mr. D sooner. My oldest would have benefited from the ACT Math Bootcamp this year!
Check out Mr. D Math and see how it can give your homeschool some peace.
Hi, I’m Dachelle. I’m a homeschooling mom of 3 in the South. I love chocolate and have been known to hide it from my children. I can often be found reading a good book (or even sometimes just an okay book) and enjoying a jar of Nutella — don’t judge. I blog, here, at HideTheChocolate.com when I’m not creating book clubs and making lists…lots and lots of lists (it’s an addiction). Learn more…
Interesting! Thanks for sharing @ #practicalmondays
I wish I would of known about this a few years ago my oldest daughter use to like math then she got a teacher that wasn’t very good so she got where she really didn’t care for it. It would of been nice to have this option for her. Thanks for linking up with Literacy Musing Mondays hop! Hope to see you next week. And have a great week,
Connie
I understand. We’ve had the same problem. We’re still trying to convince our daughter that math isn’t horrible. Thankfully we’ve found help from people like Mr. D.
I’m considering using Mr. D Math for pre-algebra, algebra 1, and ACT math prep, but I have a question about the quality of the videos. Every time I watch the sample video, it seems like the video is glitchy. I’m not sure how to explain it. The sound is fluid, but it seem like the video doesn’t stay caught up…choppy like. Our home’s internet is great, and we’ve never had it happen on any other video. In addition, I tried watching the video in two other locations using their internet, and it does the same thing. Is this just how his videos are? Or is something going on over here? Thanks for any help you can give.
So, I went to check out what you meant and I see what you are talking about. The sample videos do seem a little “glitchy” for lack of a better word. However, when I go into my daughter’s classes and look at them they don’t seem like that at all. They are very clear. So, my guess is that these samples are older videos that are having an embedding problem.
Yay! I was hoping it was just something like that because Mr. D Math looks like a good fit for what I need. However, I knew if the videos looked like that, it would distract my kids. Thank you so very much for checking on this for me. I really do appreciate it!