Time 4 Learning: Online Instruction for Homeschools

Time 4 Learning (T4L) is an online curriculum that can serve as the foundation of a homeschool program, a supplement, a tutorial or enrichment. T4L provides instructional lessons, assessments and review games for grades 1 – 8 in language arts and math. Science and social studies are included as supplements. The parent enrolls each child and pays a monthly fee for access. The student logs on to do their lessons which are guided and controlled by the program. There is latitude for moving through different large sections or topics, but once you are in a lesson the computer will not let you move ahead until you complete each section. My review is base on the middle school level.

I’m “old – school” homeschool, so I’ve never really been attracted to even the concept of ‘online’ curriculum. Of course my limited computing ability could also play a role in that lack of attraction. When Time 4 Learning first sent me the log-on information so I could start that review, I was extremely hesitant, almost resistant. After forcing myself to get started I began to see potential in this program. When I started my daughter through some of the activities and subjects I finally understood the appeal to other parents. She was very engaged with the activities and wanted to complete entire sections. Since she can be a fairly resistant student at times, it was refreshing to see such willingness.

Much of the instruction is given in cartoon animations. The quality of these varies a bit in different levels and in different subjects, but over all the animations are good (the quality is about like the older version of Nintendo). My daughter actually enjoyed these while I thought they were a bit slow and tedious. Since the student is the target audience, it may be better to go with her opinion on these. There are also animated characters in some sections which provide instruction and feedback as the student moves through the lessons. One feature that I especially liked in several sections was that the computer would “read” the selection for the student. For a student who struggles here this could be a huge plus. Not all lessons have this feature for some reason.

In the middle school level, we both found that one lesson character in particular demonstrated a borderline rudeness that we found discouraging. I believe this character’s personality is an attempt to match current middle school culture; this doesn’t seem to be a valid reason to me. Other characters were fun and helpful so it is possible to just over look that one character’s flaws if you find the program helpful otherwise.

Personally, I thought the language arts section was the most helpful to me as a parent. The reading comprehension activities did introduce and reinforce some concepts that might be lost in even the best organized of curriculum. I thought those instructional pieces did a good job and the quiz reinforcements were helpful. In addition, the format is somewhat similar to the tasks required on state assessments or achievement tests which many homeschooled students take, so they can be considered practice. Since many of these tests are going towards computer administration, this type of practice is very valuable.

The language arts has some very well done writing lessons and the “program” used for writing includes helpful features like note cards and graphic organizers which can be created online. What I liked most about the writing lessons is the step by step reinforcement and instruction they gave on several composition assignments.

While the language arts lessons had funny and engaging characters, the math was a bit dry. The instruction is computer based and we had some trouble in this area. I could never really decide if it gave enough practice and sometimes the vocabulary created a problem if my student wasn’t familiar with it. I think we may have needed one level below where we started and I do plan to change that and test out that theory. On the other hand, there is a “tool kit” that “really rocks” as my daughter decided. There is a drop down menu which included a calculator, a virtual geoboard, geometry tools, base ten blocks, a number line, counters, a co-ordinate system and a graph creator (which let you print the graph you created!) etc. These really were helpful both in the time they saved and the visual and interactive aspect they brought to the program. We logged on just to make a graph of a science experiment we did in our science co-op! If I only used the math as a supplement these features alone would be a huge help.

The history was a little on the light side for my tastes; but my daughter found it valuable to use this program to “review” some topics we were covering in our own history reading. She felt that the animations helped her remember things. We both actually liked the science. The instruction was reading based but included animations to illustrate the concepts. As a former science teacher, I found the depth of information appropriate and the explanations clear. There are also flash card reviews and quizzes after each section. Frankly, if a parent struggles with teaching science in their homeschool, this program provides a good alternative to doing nothing. If you are comfortable teaching science or if you use a traditional text book then this would be a fun supplement. (Note: this is a secular program so don’t be surprised by the evolutionary content. I still recommend it if you know what you might want to re-explain)

Time 4Learning supports teachers in a number of ways. Teachers help the program determine their child’s learning level in the initial sign up period. If this is found to be a poor fit it can easily be amended. The student’s progress is kept online and the parent may access it by logging in and looking at the work report. Reports may also be printed to keep in a portfolio. There is an online forum for parent discussion as well. (I believe the creators of this program may also be looking at creating an online student forum as well). There are scope and sequences and many other helpful articles to help you use the program fully. There is a feature where the parent makes the assignments, but I wasn’t able to make it work for me. I just wrote down what I wanted her to do. I’m sure given more time and effort this glitch would have been resolved.

So the bottom line is – I recommend this program if you are looking for something that lets your student move through some lessons independently.

If your child has special learning needs, this program offers some valuable features: reading to the child, visual and auditory stimulus, immediate reinforcement and the ability to select different levels in different subjects. If a student makes an error on a task or question the program explains the error and points them toward the correct answer. Students can also enroll in different levels of different subjects.

The cost of Time 4 Learning is $19.95 per month for the first student and $14.95 for each additional student. I realize that some parents think this is too pricey – and if you were trying to use it for many children it would be. Consider however, that the program is fully integrated with graphics, record keeping and instruction. That is a lot of programming for which this low monthly fee seems more than appropriate.

As a supplement, Time 4 Learning can buy the parent of several children some time. Even if you have only one child, this is a relatively inexpensive supplement to your core curriculum.

For a parent pulling their child out of traditional school this program offers a great value. This is a way to get your child started with school work immediately with very little thought or planning on the parent’s part.

If your family situation is hectic right now, this program might be the lifeline you need. It is a complete language arts and math program that keeps up with the work for you. I don’t believe in my heart that sitting in front of a computer for all your lessons is the BEST quality education, but there are times when it is good enough to get through a transition or a difficult period. Personally, I think this is a more cost effective method of instruction than several other options people have used and it does allow the student to move at their own pace without watching a time consuming classroom video.

I feel that Time 4 Learning also offers children a safe environment to practice using computer based instruction. It is the wave of the future. Next semester almost all my son’s college classes are online!

You can try some lessons for free and there is a 14 day refund period if you aren’t satisfied. Of course you can cancel at any time.

Please take a moment to read their website. There really is such a lot of material there I can’t do it justice.