Schoolhouse Review ~ Professor B Math

Fun visual math lessons for kids. You do need to use these lessons with your child they are not independent lessons but they are fun and they work!

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this product for review, all opinions are 100% my own.

Our 3rd daughter has come to love math. How you might ask? 

We were given the opportunity to review the Professor B Math program.

I have to say I've never used a program quite like this one before. Dd3 is 6 years old and asks me every morning if she can do her math. That is music to my ears!

Professor B Math was created by Professor Everard Barrett and published by Professor B Enterprises. Professor Barrett developed his program over 30 years ago.

It uses a methodology similar to how we tell and remember stories. This was interesting to me and they say this helps a child to absorb and remember the lessons faster. From what I have seen with dd3 this is so, at least for us.

Professor B Math has 3 levels to choose from.

Level 1: Pre-k through 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 2: 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 3:  6th through 8th grades and remediation of older learners.  Multiplication/Division of Fractions - Decimals - Percents

To help decide where to place your student, there is a placement test you can download in pdf format.

Professor B Math is NOT a computer game, it is a teaching program. When you log in to Professor B, you select what lesson you would like to use from the table of contents page. Many of the lessons are broken into smaller sections.

If the lesson you want to do is like this, it will take you to the second table of contents. After selecting the lesson section you would like to use a slide show opens.

Professor B is a cartoon bee that teaches the lesson to you. He does not talk, but a speech bubble pops up and you are to read that text to your student. As you progress through the slide show your student answers questions orally to you.

In earlier lessons, they also use their hands to show answers to questions. Each level also comes with a workbook you can download and print, it is over 100 pages.

The screenshot below shows part of the table of contents for Level 1.  Click on it to make it larger.

Clicking on the first lesson, understanding one through 10 would take you to this next screen.

I've selected the lesson understanding 8 for this next screen.

Again the lesson is broken down into smaller easier to understand concepts. This next screenshot is just one part of the interactive slide show.

It is from when the children are asked to quickly recognize different number combinations.

I've been using Professor B Math with 4 of my children.  My oldest dd (dd1) is in 4th grade but struggles with math facts. For this reason, I've placed her in Level 1.

We skipped the early lessons on learning to count and started with addition and place value. Instead of doing each lesson, we are focusing on areas that give her the most trouble.

I have seen some improvement in her math since using Professor B. Dd1 is a visual and hands-on learner, Professor B works well with her visual style but it is not a hands-on program. So for her, we are using it as more of an introduction of new concepts and review when needed. She just needs some type of manipulative to really "get" the concept.

Overall she has enjoyed using Professor B Math but says she would prefer it if the Bee talked to her. She would also like it if she could type the answers in.

Our younger children have just loved using Professor B Math! As I mentioned earlier dd3, who is in 1st grade just loves this program. My younger students started at the beginning of Level 1.

It starts off by teaching numbers and counting.

At first, I thought that dd3 wouldn't get much out of this. After all, she has known her numbers and how to count for some time! But I was wrong!

After teaching basic numbers, Professor B has the children use their fingers to show a number in different ways. Many times it would ask them to make the number, let's say 8.

Then show me a different way and a different way.

This brought a lot of giggles from our children who had fun making new finger combinations. It was also hard!

It's hard to bend your fingers down in odd arrangements, especially with tiny hands.  After that was finished there was a counting slide show.

Different objects would flash quickly on the screen. They had to watch really carefully to see it right and shout out the answer.

It is trickier than it sounds, I made a few mistakes myself!

Cost of Professor B Math

At the time of this posting, the pricing according to their website is:

• For 1 level per month, you pay $20.

• For 2 levels the second is an additional $15 per month.

• To add a 3rd is an additional $10 per month.

You can choose month to month pricing or yearly.

There are many things that I like about Professor B Math. It is a very easy to use program. I find the lessons are scripted with just the right detail level. Sometimes I've found I would over explain a lesson, this would confuse or bore a student. With Professor B this doesn't happen.

I love how the concepts are taught on the screen. They are clear and uncluttered looking, my children understand what they are teaching easily. I think this would work well for visual and auditory learners.

The downside to this program for me is that there is no lesson tracking. You have to create your own list and don't forget what lesson you used last.

Sometimes I find the scripted lessons get a bit tiring. So as we've become used to just doing the next thing with the program I don't read every note the bee puts up. Only if it has changed.

This program might not work well for you if your child is a very hands-on learner or if you don't have the time to sit with your child during each lesson.