About IXL
IXL is a platform for personalized learning which aims at improving the learning in all its students. It is a platform that is committed to creating the best possible technology for educational purposes. The transformation done by the IXL has helped the students and the teachers in solving real-world challenges they might have faced. IXL was formed in 1998, and today it is being used by around 12 million students. Let’s know ‘Does ixl cause stress?’
Stress and IXL
IXL is a learning platform that is loved by the teachers but hated by the students. Many teachers are switching towards IXL, giving assignments over the IXL learning platform instead of the physics homework. The IXL app is accessible to students through their iPads and can be used for homework assignments. The good thing about the IXL app or website is that students who get their homework through this app do not have to take their books home.
Many a student has experienced stress and frustration while using this website or application. People have found stressful behaviors amongst kids like destructive behavior towards self, peers, and computers as well.
The Smart score point system has a great pitfall in its execution. If a student gets a question right, then the smart score goes up by one point but whenever a student gets a question wrong, his score goes down about 7 to 8 points. It’s a bit stressful and frustrating for the students to see their smart score going down so sharply that too just because of a single mistake.
This makes students spend most of their time on this IXL learning platform as whenever they are about to reach 100%, a single wrong answer leads to swooping down the smart score. This type of scoring system is very negative and consumes way too much time for the kids.
Most of the time, teachers also assign IXL along with the regular bookwork that leads to students having a lot of homework in math and other classes. This leads to increased stress, lack of sleep, and frustration amongst the kids.
How to use IXL?
Here are some steps to use IXL for students:
- Sign in: The student will have to visit ixl.com and enter his user name as well as password in the upper right-hand corner of the panel. If needed, children can ask their parents for help.
When a student has signed in, he will be taken to a recommendations page. This page is filled with fun skills picked just for the students. Whenever a student wants something to work on, he can come on this page and choose a skill that he finds interesting and can practice on I-Excel.
If the teacher has suggested skills to the students to work on, they can find them at the top right of the recommendations page. If the teacher has assigned skills by giving a three characters skill ID, a student can just type the code into the search bar at the top left of the page to quickly find the skill.
- Working on an I-Excel skill: Before starting a skill, a student has to click on learn with an example link at the top of the page to get an introduction to the concepts.
- As a child answers questions, the app will tell right away if the answer was correct.
- If a student misses a question, He will get a step-by-step explanation for how to solve it. So, a student should read it carefully.
- Smart Score: The number on the right side of the screen is the smart score. It is called smart as it shows the student what he knows and helps him learn at his own pace. As a student makes progress in a skill, his score will increase and the questions will also get a little harder simultaneously. If he misses a question, his score will drop a bit and he will get easier questions to help him review.
If needed, a student can take a break and come back to the skill later. The progress made by the student will be saved so that he can pick right back up where he left off.
When a student gets stuck on a scale, he can check the list of helpful skills that he can practice to build his knowledge and confidence in the concepts, and then he can come back ready to tackle the original skill.
If the teacher has asked the student to work on the diagnostic area, he can get there by clicking on the diagnostic link in the green bar. The students can also practice I-Excel on their tablet or phone with the mobile app of the IXL.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is IXL a terrible learning platform?
IXL is found to be stressful to the children as it makes the students spend hours on the app or website just trying to improve their scores. Although, it cannot be called a terrible app, as its effects depend on the way it is used. The IXL learning platform should only be used to enhance knowledge and skills rather than trying to score more and spending the whole of their time on the app.
- What is the fee for each classroom at IXL?
The classroom licenses at the IXL learning platform start at $299 for 25 students with unlimited access for one year from home as well as school.
- Can IXL be used on iPhone or iPad?
Yes, the IXL learning platform is available on iPhone as well as iPad. In the iPad, there is a scratchpad provided by the IXL to work out the problems right at the screen without any need for paper.
- Is making an account of the IXL app necessary?
Students can practice ten questions in each subject per day for free without any account. But an account is required for unlimited access.
- What about the SmartScore?
When the student starts practicing his skills, the smart score is at zero. The smart score increases with each correct answer and decreases with a wrong one. A score of 90 or above is considered to be an excellent one.
