Reflex Math is a research based, adaptive and effective system for mastering basic facts in addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.  These reflections from Canadian educators and students illustrate how Reflex helps achieve fluency, building a foundation for more complex math.

Melanie Desroches, a grade 4 teacher in Halifax, has seen a lot of improvement since her students starting using Reflex. Reflex “will ensure that as they face more difficult math involving multiplication that they will be confident in tackling it! They can focus on the new methods or steps and not have to spend time thinking about basic multiplication and division facts.”

Her students have been engaged too “They are so excited about Reflex, as well as how much they are progressing and the certificates they are getting!”

Reflex with Special Needs Students

Teachers who work with special needs students have found success with Reflex as well.

A special education teacher at the Simcoe County District School Board who works with students with significant needs recalled how a student himself credited Reflex to his peers. 

“As a small group, we were working to solve a very simple math problem in which one of the addends was missing. As we plodded along, we drew pictures, we tried to act it out to discover the missing number... One student suddenly called out that the missing addend had to be 5. When I asked how he figured it out, he said, ‘Because when I play Reflex it always tells me that 5+4 = 9. It’s a fact family!’ 

Gamification = Engagement

This teacher found that even her harder to reach students are progressing with Reflex unique gamified structure:

"Most of my students have severe attention deficit issues and remaining on a task for more than 10 minutes is a challenge. One student is my ‘lowest’ according to standardized testing, however, he is the student that works the most diligently on Reflex. His progress is slower, but he is moving in the right direction.”\

 

As another teacher pointed out that gamification is contagious, in a good way, “Once a few students reached 100% fluency, it seemed to motivate others to move forward and started some healthy competition.”

A special education teacher, in Dufferin Peel Catholic District Board also pointed how important engaging students was.  Working with students 2 to 4 grade levels below their grade, he found that:

 

“Reflex is an excellent tool to help students develop math fact fluency through engagement, interactive activities, and by tracking their math fact fluency. Reflex is the only one that actually tracks a student’s progress and is a relevant assessment tool for the teacher. Reflex assists in each of the strands and provides the student with further confidence to tackle the bigger problems presented in a mathematics program."

 

He goes on to say that,

“Reflex, in my opinion, is a must for each teacher, and even more so for the Special Education teacher as these students enrolled in such a program are very much in need of math fact fluency.”

Fluency > Confidence > Fluency > Confidence…  SUCCESS

That fluency generates confidence and that confidence means a student is much more likely to use their math knowledge.  Much like learning a language, confidence is essential to fluency and vice versa.

Grade 5/6 Teacher, Elementary School, Thames Valley District Public Board in Ontario says:

“I absolutely love Reflex! Reflex has been the most effective tool I have used with a class to help develop math fact fluency.

 

A grade 6 student in my class who is IEP’d to a grade 1-2 level for math and has struggled with recall of addition and subtraction facts has made steady progress with Reflex. She is now recalling addition and subtraction facts to 12 with ease. Best of all, she is feeling confident and proud of herself!

 

With quicker recall of facts, students are able to spend more of their time thinking deeply about problems and not being hung up on the mechanics. I have seen improvement in the speed, accuracy and variety of strategies used when doing mental math as well.”

 

A Grade 5 elementary school teacher in the Lambton Kent District School Board echoed these sentiments.

“Students are much better about using their math facts and far more quick to answer any question that involves math. They are also so much more confident in their math skills and in their ability to complete any math task.

 

I have one student that was so excited about Reflex she does it every morning before school. I have a student that wrote me a letter before school started stating that they were terrified of division. It’s now almost March and they have already finished the multiplying and dividing sections.

 

On a recent field trip, the person running the trip was asking math questions. During a point in the trip, this student had answered several questions and looked at me beaming and said proudly, ‘Reflex.’ I think students that continue to use the program would be very apt to push themselves further as mathematicians and even develop further math skills as they see their confidence improve.”

  

Unlike other tools, Reflex has effective assessment information for the teacher at every level of achievement for the individual and for the class.  The insights are clear digestible:

“At a glance I can see which students are struggling to master addition and subtraction facts and can offer reinforcement. My students are definitely more engaged with Reflex compared to other programs. The teacher information is much more comprehensive, and I like how milestones are recognized and celebrated. Having students play the games rather than answer drill and skill questions is much more effective in keeping them interested and motivated. Students are making steady progress. I am starting to see how much quicker they can answer basic addition and subtraction facts, especially when they are embedded in problem solving questions.”

–Grade 6 Teacher, York Region District Public Board, ON

Students Reflect on Reflex

Students in their own words echo what their Canadian teachers have been saying.  Ms. Deroche’s students in Halifax wrote letters to Reflex (and Crabby) to let them know how much they enjoyed Reflex and how much they’re learning.

 

“I like Reflex because it helped me with my facts. My favorite game is Ninja to the Stars. I like how you have to jump on platforms. It is my favorite game in the world!”

 

“When I first started I didn’t know my multiplication very good. But the more I played it the more I learned and the more I learned the more I liked it. I started at 0 and now I’m at one hundred percent.”

 

“I really like Reflex. It’s a great game especially for people learning their multiplication facts. It’s a really fun game for math. My favorite game on Reflex is Quick Slither and Alien Sundae. Reflex helped me a lot with my math. I got 100% on Christmas break and I was so excited. What I’m saying is it makes multiplication fun to learn. I totally recommend it to people that need to learn facts. Math is awesome!”

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