The website Math is Fun.com is authentic; the features itself are simple yet attractive. It started on April 19, 2000; it is their 13 years of helping people learn especially students and children. The site covers the full kindergarten to K12. It has a teachers’ page to inspire their student to visit the site for any suggestions and recommendations. Math is Fun updates their featured topic of the month, and forum is open for any feedbacks, new ideas and comments. It shows the real view of what really means about Math is Fun. The simple minimal features added the clarity of every topic from numbers, algebra, geometry, data, measure, puzzles, games, dictionary, and worksheets are all informative and reliable. The design and organization is easy to navigate, search, and read. The people behind this site obviously worked excellently in providing better knowledge needed by the learners or children. Math is Fun is a user-friendly website, and is updated in a regular basis and well maintained, and the links are current and working. Search is provided and easy to understand and use. In every section of Math is Fun, Mathematics is explained in easy language, added to its explanation, illustrations, puzzles, games, quizzes, and worksheets children can learn many important things. It offers an enjoyable and easy to learn manner in Mathematics because they believe that Mathematics is fun.
Excellent quality is very important to Math is Fun, the mathematics teachers, mathematicians, and many other works on their site. Each page is being reviewed by at least three qualified people and millions of people viewing the site contributes more and comment for any feedback. The concept of understanding of Math is Fun provides a balanced, objective or factual information. For the students or children to progress in Mathematics, Math is Fun has several conceptual building blocks offered; these are the ability to form and use association, grasp of the language of Mathematics, understanding of the relationships involved in the numeric operations, and the ability to make generalizations. It describes significant skills that relates to the understanding on Mathematics concepts. However, there are tendencies that some students or children encounter difficulties. In this connection, proper motivations are needed to boost the interest of those who are willing to learn more knowledge in Mathematics. Student recognizes mathematical symbols and visualizes math concepts, patterns, and the parts of a problem. Student appreciates math vocabulary words and is able to construct math knowledge by math languages. Student comprehends how concepts are related as in the relationship between addition and subtraction, or between ratio and proportion, respectively. Student can distinguish how math concepts such as proportion or measurement are applied to everyday life or real life situations.
Math manipulatives range from simple counting blocks to geoboards or tangram puzzles. Manipulatives work better to solve Mathematics problems as a mean to initiate new Mathematics skills and in free play to discover diverse Mathematics concepts. The uses of manipulatives vary and it is based on the teachers’ philosophy of Mathematics instructions; however, these Mathematics materials offer many benefits to the students and children. There are moments that children do not like Mathematics because of its abstract ideas. Fortunately, the teachers can help these children distinguish the real-world application of Mathematics by teaching the subject in an engaging manner. Teachers make Mathematics real by integrating Mathematics manipulatives in the classroom curriculum. By integrating hands-on items, it assists the children participate actively in mathematics and not a mere computation in mathematics with their paper and pencil.
The manipulative that can be paired with a concept in the site is the weighing scale or
pan balance. There are varieties of objects to weigh and measure. A weighing scale or pan balance set up to compare the weights of items. In weighing the items, it gives the students or children a measurement sense or logic than just learning conversion rates through solving. The measuring tape, meter sticks, trundle wheels, and rulers are also useful to develop the measuring skills. Another manipulative that can be paired is the set of baseball cards, miniature cars, and building blocks as fraction manipulatives. Fractions emphasize how the part is compared to its whole. Children can represent the fraction of the cars as racecars. The beans, straws, and poker chips can turn into sets of fractions. For example, children can determine 35 of the set of 30 beans.
Part of the site that motivates students and children to continue their interest in Mathematics is the Mathematics worksheets, games, puzzles, and fun activities. it motivates the students or children to think deeper when they are engage to worksheets; it would enhance their skills and be determined in doing assignments. Games and puzzles enhance the logical aspects or reasoning of the children. Aside from entertainment from educational games and puzzles, they can develop more the motor skills and analysis. Several fun activities develop the skills and they learn best by doing. In assessing the students learning, this can be associated in journal writing, observations, recording sheet, and interview. Math is Fun features illustrated Mathematics dictionary, with this perspective, students, children can integrate their learning in Mathematics vocabularies, and teachers can evaluate their capacity in writing essays or journals and recording sheets where they benefit an in-depth knowledge in sentence constructions, grammar and spelling. In observations and interviews, activities are of great help for the children and teachers can easily assess how they cooperate with their classmates in the given tasks as they perform individually or in groups.
Math is Fun is a site that contributes many important things to people especially students and children. Languages are being expressed and demonstrated in easy ways through various illustrations in puzzles, educational games, challenging quizzes, interesting worksheets and fun filled activities. All the features in the site offers are very enjoyable and easy to learn ways in Mathematics. It contributes many challenging things and most importantly, Math is Fun is absolutely fun.
Reference
About Us: Math is Fun. (2000, April 19). Retrieved April 6, 2014, from
http://www.mathsisfun.com/
