I am a student at Bishop Carroll, and I love my school. It’s self directed, and while some people feel they would not do well in such a setting, I believe that the independent learning environment is extremely beneficial. Students take initiative for their own learning, and this makes the lessons learned more valuable. We learn scheduling, motivation, study habits and a large variety of other skills that will not only help us in post-secondary schools, but in life.
One aspect of the self-directed system is learning to teach yourself in fun/effective ways. I took Physics 30 last semester, and struggled because I really disliked it. However, I had to learn to find ways to enjoy it. I particularly loved the University of Colorado at Boulder Simulations, and I mention it because it makes learning the sciences more visual and hands-on. Not only did these simulations help me with Physics, but they could help students in Biology and Chemistry as well. Here are some of the “Sims”: Atomic Interactions, John Travoltage, Glaciers, and The Greenhouse Effect. And they’re all free!
The site that I’d like to mainly feature today is Brightstorm. As their slogan says, Brightstorm offers “Thousands of Free Math and Science Videos.” They’re basically short lessons on video with accompanying question and answer blogs. The videos are helpful because I really liked the teachers for the topics I studied, and I feel that all the teachers on brightstorm are likely very good.
The Math section features Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, Pre-Calculus and Calculus, and if you aren’t sure where your area of interest fits, you can easily enter it into a search bar.
The Science sections feature Biology, Chemistry, and Physics. My Physics textbook did not explain one section very well, and this site was suggested to me by a friend. I love it, and I think it’s a great resource for those who want to teach themselves (maybe to prep for a course they’re taking later, or out of interest), and even for those who don’t have the best teachers. It’s also great for review on topics you don’t remember well.
As it is based out of the United States, this website might not have every topic we cover in Alberta curriculum, and may have extra material we don’t need, however, math and science principals are universal and extra understanding never hurts.
There is also a handy question box, where registered users can ask the Brightstorm teachers questions, which is really beneficial if you register at the beginning of your semester and ask questions as you go along.
While this is all free, you an also pay for any of four U.S. test prep programs, including an SAT prep course.
As I was preparing for my Physics 30 Diploma, this website helped me to gain understanding and confidence in a time of high stress.