I just watched a video on the website Xtramath, for those who are unfamiliar with this, it's a math website that times you on math equations; and I have a few things I'd like to address. The key points in this video about Xtramath are:
- Emotional distress
- Anxiety and fear
- Unsettling imagery
Now let's break this down bit by bit, starting with emotional distress. The video claimed that students using the site experienced emotional trauma because the instructor on Xtramath would "threaten" to notify the students' parents/teachers. While this is frightening to some, if a child gets so upset to the point they get emotionally distressed from their teachers/parents being upset at them for getting math equations wrong, then that's solely on the parents/teachers. Kids should never fear the role models in their life, therefore an emotionally regulated child wouldn't be having panic attacks over math.
Which goes on to my next point: fear. Xtramath, by default, times you on how fast you can answer a problem correctly. Now usually, teachers give an introduction to units and such BEFORE going into Xtramath. If the teacher doesn't, then the instructor on Xtramath will give a short, brief explanation on how to work out different math problems.
For example, if you're doing an adding (+) equation unit, the Xtramath instructor will provide a visual, verbal, and written explanation. You can watch the videos multiple times. Then you are presented with a beginner addition equation, like 2+3. You are timed for roughly 6 seconds. If you answer correctly, you proceed until you're proficient. If you answer incorrectly, you are presented with the Xtramath instructor encouraging you to try harder. Some might say this is passive aggressive, however it's not. It's a misunderstanding of tone. I can also understand the fear of the timer, for I was also rather pressured into doing well; but the math problems are timed to show your teachers/parents how well you're absorbing information related to Maths. If your teacher was a good teacher, they'd reassure you that it's okay to get things wrong.
The last point is the imagery. Taking into consideration the time period in which Xtramath debuted--which was early 2000s--it makes sense why there aren't many bright colors, instead the website uses greys, dull blues, bright greens, bright yellows, and bright red. However this isn't the unsettling part, it's the instructor. The Xtramath instructor is a tan, bald male with a shiny white smile and a bright red shirt. Many children could find this unsettling, however there isn't any explicit or implicit horror. Children only saw a bald man smiling in his work uniform and deemed him unsafe.
Overall, I think that Xtramath is an efficient tool when it comes to assisting children in fluency and memory. People just like to take things to extremes and label anything as trauma. At the end of the day, you can't gain trauma from a neutral colored math website. Feel free to leave comments; and if you are one of the unfortunate people to gain "trauma" from Xtramath, grow up. You didn't experience trauma from the website itself, you experienced trauma from your teachers/parents. They were the ones who installed that fear of making mistakes.
