Product Review of ExploreLearning Reflex Math

Math fact fluency is the quick and effortless (automatic) recollection of basic math facts. When students achieve automaticity with these facts, they have attained a level of mastery that enables them to retrieve them from long-term memory without conscious effort or attention. Extensive research has demonstrated the critical role of fact fluency in elementary school level mathematics and beyond. The significance of fact retrieval speed is not limited simply to computation — it can enhance performance on math concept problems, word problems, data interpretation problems, and mathematical reasoning of items. Reflex helps students of all ability levels develop fluency with their basic math. It combines research-proven methods and innovative technology to provide the most effective math fact fluency solution available.
Website: www.reflexmath.com
What Users Love About the App
“Fun characters, game-based drills, and the point system make gaining fluency more fun than worksheets.”
“Reflex Math is an invaluable tool for an elementary math class. One of the best features of the program is that students learn related operations at the same time, with visual representations that help deepen their understanding. They internalized the concepts of the operations and applied them during our problem-solving sessions. By Christmas, my class was 97% fluent in multiplication and division. The payoff was huge during our fractions and division units. Because of their facility with math facts, my students were much better-equipped to focus on the new concepts.”
“Reflex Math is amazing. I’ve been playing it so much. Here is an example of a problem: Coach Penny gives you two picture puzzles, can you make it one picture puzzle? The arrows on Alien Sundae are sometimes hard to press but that’s OK. I love the game and my teacher grades me on it, so I’m probably going to get an A+ for math. Love the game, amazing entertainment.”
“We did this on our chrome books in class and it really helped. So, I downloaded it on my phone and I took off so well! Plus, my avatar is so cute it looks like mini-me! Thank you for caring about our learning.”
“Reflex is an amazing game that almost never gets old. I love all the characters, especially crabby! I always enjoy exploring math in a fun learning game instead of on a sheet of paper. Thanks for the game!”
What Users Dislike About the App
“The app only helps with memorization and quick recall, not pattern recognition, grouping, or deep understanding of numerical relationships.”
“I am a student and I’m in grade 3. I think reflex is a great app but l think it needs some upgrades. This is in my opinion, so just know that l don’t want you to change it (although that would be AWESOME) but l want you to hear me out. First, in the beginning, you have to charge up the fact fair (I think that’s what it is called) and it chooses which activities you do. I think the app would improve if us kids could choose.”
“Whoever reads this trust me, this app is absolutely the worst! Coach Penny is a nightmare. Is there any way to skip that section? Once, when I was trying to play the fact family part with Coach Penny, I accidentally pressed the wrong button so she showed me the question again, I typed EXACTLY the same problem she said it was wrong. I got mad and tried it again, and the same thing happened. I tried 10 more times before it finally worked, and about 50% of the questions I get right they count wrong!”
“When I first got into Reflex I thought it was really good. Quickly after that, I thought it was boring. (No offense). It was because of the fair and the games. The only game I played on Reflex was Quick Slither. You don’t have enough time to do the math sentences. Also, Coach Penny is AWFUL! She reminds me of a very mean teacher in Pre-K. Coach Penny always makes me do the same problem every time! It is super annoying! Also, the bunny always tells me to press pass! If you’ve ever heard of Prodigy, PLAY THAT! Then, compare how much more fun it is than Reflex. (Again, no offense).”
“I like this game but it’s so stressful! It’s the picture puzzle that’s stressful, I’ve been playing this game for 2 years now and I have never liked the picture puzzles! Here’s a good suggestion: replace the picture puzzle with a treasure hunt. I really like that suggestion! My dad always has to make me play it because it’s my homework. So, if you fix the picture puzzle I will change this to a five-star rating!”