Best Math Help

Best websites for math help

Math is one subject many students seem to find difficult, especially as they move into material their parents are less familiar with. The one math help site that comes up most is Ask Dr. Math, a service provided through Drexel University's The Math Forum (MathForum.org). Students can browse through "Selected Answers to Common Questions" or perform full-text searches to find out if an answer to their question has already been archived. If not, they can submit a question by e-mail to Ask Dr. Math's volunteers. The Wall Street Journal's Peggy Edersheim Kalb says her pizza problem was answered in the Frequently Asked Questions, but she points out that Dr. Math is staffed by volunteers who may or may not respond to any given problem a student submits.

Utah State University's National Library of Virtual Manipulatives (NLVM.usu.edu) is one math help site that gets consistently excellent reviews. In an older review, Education World gives it A+ ratings for everything from content to aesthetics, and Kirsten Haugen's Tech Tips Page says if you use only one math site, NLVM should be it. Geared toward grades K to 12, NLVM uses applets to help students understand and practice math concepts. Topics covered include numbers and operations, algebra, geometry, measurement, and data analysis and probability.

Coolmath (Coolmath.com) gets a less glowing review from The Wall Street Journal's Peggy Edersheim Kalb. While she says she and her student tester were able to use the site's resources to find the answer to their pizza problem, she finds the design busy and distracting and the interface "not the most efficient to use." Still, she says her sixth-grade tester did enjoy the games. Besides math games, Coolmath has practice problems, a math dictionary and homework help extending from basic addition to algebra and pre-calculus. Common Sense Media gives Coolmath four out of five stars but cautions that the amount of advertising on the site may be distracting for some kids.