If your child is struggling with math, it can be a trying time for your family. At some point, you know you need some extra help, but you may not know where to turn. The internet is a great resource for finding math tutoring solutions, but it can also be overwhelming since there is so much information to process — and a lot of times that information is conflicting.
Everything from the type of worksheets you can find to Kumon reviews and testimonials about one-on-one tutoring “experts” can lead you in different directions. But with a grain of salt, a little effort, and possibly some trial and error, you can find the right solution for your student to get them back on track for math success.
Finding Math Help For Your Student
When your child is struggling, there are a variety of ways to get them extra math help. You may find that something as simple as an extra worksheet does the trick, or your student may need more help than that and require a regular appointment with a tutor.
Word of mouth has always been a popular way to learn about products or companies you can trust. As you’re researching, you may want to ask your student’s teacher or other parents what solutions they use and recommend — and especially ones they don’t recommend.
If you’re not finding what you need through people you know, it’s likely that you’ll turn next to the internet and the vast amount of resources that it provides.
One of the great things about the internet and online resources is location freedom. The internet provides us with an amazing amount of information. Your student can now get one-on-one online tutoring while in the comfort of your home — and it may be from someone in another city, state, or country. You can now find the best Math tutor or Math tutoring program for your student, and it doesn’t matter where either of you is located.
Whatever level of help your student needs, though, it’s important to do your research to ensure that your student is getting quality math help. It would be nice to think that we can trust everything out there, but sometimes people create websites with malicious intent or they’re just not as qualified to be an instructor or teacher on a subject as they promote themselves to be.
Companies can say whatever they want on their websites about their products or themselves and the quality of math help they provide. Reviews and testimonials are really the best way to find out for yourself how accurate their claims are.
Taking the time to do the research on math help products (such as math worksheets, apps, or games), local tutoring centers, (like a Kumon center, Mathnasium, Sylvan, or Huntington Learning Centers), online or individual tutors in your area, or online tutoring programs (like Thinkster Math) can save you the from having to worry later about the quality of math help your student is receiving and keep you from wasting money in the process.
According to a 2017 survey from BrightLocal, 93 percent of consumers read online reviews before visiting a business, and 73% of consumers said that positive reviews make them trust a company more.
So, online reviews can be a vital tool in your purchase decision, especially when it comes to your kids. If you’re not quite sure what you’re looking for, though, keep reading for five things we think you should keep in mind when searching online for Kumon reviews and reviews on other math programs.
5 Things to Remember When Reading Online Reviews
Don’t let the possibility of a negative experience keep you from searching out the help your student needs. Just be sure to take the extra time up front to do enough research to know you’ve found good information.
Whatever level of math help you are researching, we suggest the following ideas for you to keep in mind as you read online reviews of math programs and apps.
1. Read online reviews critically
Some people just like to complain. We’ve all seen that review where someone complains about a restaurant, for example, but the complaint is about something the restaurant has no control over or is a personal preference. You can usually tell the legitimate complaints from the made-up ones, and you should take this level of skepticism into your research into online math help as well.
If a program has a negative review, you should be able to tell pretty quickly whether it is legitimate and something you want to stay away from or whether it’s something that a specific person has an issue with that you won’t. You know yourself and your student and what will work best for them.
You also want to use a critical eye when reading positive reviews. You can usually tell when things are too good to be true. Plus, what works for some people may not work for you — especially when it comes to something as personal as learning.
For example, if someone writes an overly positive review of Kumon, saying how great it is that “there are multiple Kumon centers near me,” that doesn’t mean the quality of the tutoring is better or that this is the right option for your student. (It’s more so speaking to the Kumon franchise multiple locations!)
This person may also prefer in-person tutoring and be pleased with the available options. But, if your student doesn’t learn as well in the learning center environment, this will not be a good option for your family no matter what the review says. Your student may prefer the flexibility and location independence of an online tutoring program like Thinkster instead.
2. Students learn in different ways
Every student is different and, as you know, the way that students learn best can also differ. Some do better in a traditional school setting with their teacher while others need more individualized instruction.
Even beyond that, you may find that your student receives adequate math help in a tutoring center or that this is too much like the classroom and your student needs to work with a tutor. For some, paper-based Kumon worksheets are better while others prefer online, data-driven worksheets or games. At this point, the opportunities are endless, and you may not know what works best until you try it.
When reading reviews, you may find that something that didn’t work for someone else is exactly what you are looking for. Keep your student’s personality, learning style, and interests in mind when reading reviews.
If the review is based on a difference of opinion on a learning style, you may be able to use a negative review to uncover something that would be a positive for your student. Or, a positive review from someone else may actually be a negative when it comes to what works best for your student.
For example, you can find positive Kumon reviews that focus on the super-structured learning environment that is used at a Kumon learning center. Perhaps the Kumon Method works great for their child. But if your student prefers or needs a more flexible, customized approach in order to learn or they need an actual tutor to help them learn to solve problems instead of just occasional help even when they are in a tutoring center, this will never fit your math tutoring needs.
You should also be sure to explore more about the math curriculum that the program offers. Some online platforms or programs focus on math facts, whereas others emphasize building strong conceptual thinking skills. For your child to become a true math champion, look for a program – like Thinkster! – that focuses on developing proficiency across a variety of critical math concepts and math skills.
3. Look for reviews on third-party websites
The truth is, companies and individuals can say whatever they want on their websites. These companies can also remove any negative reviews from their website to keep their rating scores high, and you would never know the difference.
That’s why we suggest that you also do a quick Google search for the company or instructor you find to see what third-party reviews are available. Social media can be a great place to start as well as the Better Business Bureau (for companies) to see objective reviews. For individuals, LinkedIn can also offer some insight into their careers and reviews from other clients.
The simplest way to find third-party reviews is to use your search engine to search for the company name plus the word “reviews.” This can give you great insight into what others are really saying about this company or product. For instance, check out these third-party reviews of the Thinkster math program.
4. Anyone can say they’re a qualified instructor, set up a website, or write a review
For many of us, it can be hard to see why someone would set up a fake website or company and go out of their way to cheat people or scam them. But, it does happen. These days, pretty much anyone can set up a legitimate-looking website and sell a product.
Be wary of anything that seems too expensive or too cheap or a tutoring website that has typos or misspellings. If someone is offering math worksheets, you may want to work through them yourself to verify that they are done correctly or ask your math teacher to review some of them. If the site also seems to talk a big talk (“I’ll help your kid jump a grade level in a month!”) then you should also critique this carefully to understand the legitimacy of the claim!
Also, be wary of individual listings on sites like Craigslist, which aren’t verified. Often these postings will ask for money upfront or even personal information. In this case, you would definitely want to seek out third-party reviews.
This is where online reviews can be very helpful in making a decision. If you can’t find additional information that confirms the person is who they say they are, you probably want to steer clear.
5. Look for trials or plans without contracts
Once you’ve done your research, read all the reviews, and feel comfortable about a few products, you may not be able to tell exactly how much help your student needs without jumping into a product. Whether it be mathematics worksheets, a Kumon center, or an online tutor, it may require you just to pick what you think is best and then see how it goes.
If you’re looking for online math tutoring to help your child, you can try Thinkster risk-free.
Thinkster provides a full-fledged online tutoring platform (driven by AI, behavioral, and data science), as well as supplemental math worksheets, math homework help, test prep, and more. Our Parent Insights App allows you to monitor your student‘s work and learning improvements at any time.
An elite, expert math tutor and online teaching system work together to help your student go beyond just learning math – we want them to master it.
Learn more about our curriculum and teaching style here.
Note: Kumon® is a registered trademark of Kumon North America, Inc. Thinkster Math is in no way affiliated to the same.
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