Math without Borders?

[cmpet7]

Has anyone used the Math without Borders DVD to go along with the Foerester's algebra and trig book? I'm wondering if it gives enough instruction as I can't really help my son in the subject. Thanks.

[SusanAR]

Has anyone used the Math without Borders DVD to go along with the Foerester's algebra and trig book? I'm wondering if it gives enough instruction as I can't really help my son in the subject. Thanks.

 

We used it this year, and it was a life-saver. The lectures and were just enough. :001_smile: They were short enough that i watched several over the weekend so that I could help ds if needed. I highly recommend it. I only wish he had help for Foerster's trig.

susan

[cmpet7]

Thanks for the info. I am confused though. I thought the Forester's book covered alg. II and trig. Does the DVD cover any trig? Thanks. Cathy

[Matryoshka]

Thanks for the info. I am confused though. I thought the Forester's book covered alg. II and trig. Does the DVD cover any trig?

 

I had also assumed it did since the course's title is Algebra II with Trigonometry?

[SusanAR]

Oh, I'm sorry. I meant Foerster's PRECALCULUS :tongue_smilie:

susan

[hs_gram]

I am so glad I found this post. I am considering Math Without Borders for this year.

 

Do the DVDs only cover the Algebra 2 portion of the book or is the trig covered as well?

 

Thanks,

Darlene

[Nissi]

Susan R, was your child able to work independently after using the DVDs? Do they help with the challenge problems?

 

Thanks.

[Laura in CA]

they were a life-saver. We used the DVD-ROMs for Foerster's Algebra II, and yes, the DVD-ROMs include instruction (& he works through many of the problems) for the *entire* book, including chapters 13-15, the trig part. (We're using the "Classic" Foerster's Algebra/Trig book.)

 

We just quit for the year after finishing chapter 10, so I just popped the disc in to make sure it covers chs. 13-15 (it does), and noticed a folder called "Resources" with a lot of extra files -- including some called "2-cycle Log-Log," "5x5 Augmented Matrix," "Ambiguous Case," "Binomial Distribution," etc. I think the DVD-ROM is a great value.

 

My children were able to work fairly independently after viewing the lesson. I did feel like I had to watch it with my kids, though, to make sure they caught everything. Often I'd say things like "Oh, did you hear that?" or "Do you know why he just did that?" to make sure they weren't just watching passively. I was very impressed with how Mr Chandler explained the concepts -- I think he adds a lot to the textbook. And as opposed to just reading the text by yourself, you can hear someone explaining the concepts and showing demonstrations -- sweeping out a hyperbola, for example, or showing how a hyperbola turns into an ellipse, I think, by varying the parameters.

 

FWIW, math always came easily to me (I got the math award in high school and took several post-calculus math classes in college), but that was several decades ago (!) and I'm not sure I had the luxury I have now (as a homeschooling mom) to take the time to mull things over & make connections. The Math without Borders materials have aided greatly in my understanding & it's very exciting for me (my kids aren't quite as thrilled, haha, but I know they're a big help for them, too).

 

~Laura

[SusanAR]

Susan R, was your child able to work independently after using the DVDs? Do they help with the challenge problems?

 

Thanks.

 

 

I think that he could have worked independently, but i have always been involved with math (Dc do some subjects without me). The dvd does cover trig.

MWB is one my homeschool favorites.

I just want to know what breed of dog he owns- occasionally we could hear faint barking in the background ;)

susan

[Nissi]

Laura and Susan, thanks for your posts. I was wondering if I would need to get a tutor for ds. He was able to do Foerster's Algebra I independently though he had trouble with chapter 14 and was not able to complete it. We also struggled with learning to use the Graphing Calculator for functions in this chapter. Is there any instruction on using the graphing calculator in the DVDs? Thanks.

[Laura in CA]

Nissi, I'm not sure about graphing-calculator instruction, since we've stopped for the summer at chapter 10. I'm thinking it isn't included (so far he's used a free, basic web-based calculator & an Excel-like spreadsheet to perform calculations, and another free graphing program called, I think, Graphmatica, to graph functions), but I've e-mailed David Chandler, who sometimes posts here, asking him to answer this!

 

~Laura

[DavidSChandler]

Hi All,

This is David Chandler from Math Without Borders. Laura alerted me to this thread and thought it would be good to post answers to some of the questions.

 

First of all, the dogs. My "studio" is a little room added onto the back of the garage so Carolyn doesn't have to walk around on tiptoes in the house all day. We have neighbors with noisy dogs. I try to avoid times when they are particularly aroused, and they are somewhat muffled by the closed door. There is also an annoying ice cream truck that clutters the noise space and neighbors who do loud dance parties at the end of the block that cut into my recording time. I don't know if I have successfully eliminated all of those noises. Overall I think it's a reasonably quiet teaching environment.

 

I don't do graphing calculators. My personal feeling is there are different technologies appropriate for different problems. I see pocket calculators as ideal for on-the-fly problem solving with a small input pad and small readout...preferably something one wouldn't mind carrying around in one's pocket. Problems that involve graphing work better with a large screen and more fluent input modes. That's why I use a simple calculator on-screen and other tools for other purposes. So far, I've managed to do all the required programming on a spreadsheet. My real-world programming tool of choice is Python. It's pretty easy to learn, but I haven't introduced it in my math lessons, at least not yet.

 

That said, I realize your kids may run into other courses down the line that assume they have a graphing calculator. In a classroom environment I would bite the bullet and go along to get along, but home schoolers can do it in whatever way makes the most sense. Ultimately I would recommend getting fluent on a graphing calculator just to increase one's skill set, but I don't use them in my own teaching. (There is a lot of how-to literature on the subject of graphing calculators.)

 

That may be a cop-out, but I think you have to admit it is a well rationalized cop-out.

 

By the way, if you want to see some nice applications of trig, and a few other math skills, check out my web page for a new sideline I'm starting up: HomeStarEngineering.com. (I really do use math outside the classroom!) I came up with this design because our own house has a North-South roofline and I wanted to put solar panels on in such a way that they qualified for the full rebate and produced the maximum power. (I did it without a graphing calculator!!!)

Edited June 27, 2009 by DavidSChandler

[cmpet7]

Thanks for the info. Your responses were very helpful It sounds like my son will do well with the program. He is an auditiory learner and will do better with clear verbal instruction. I feel reassured about going with the Foerester book.

[Corraleno]

Does anyone have experience with both MWB and Chalkdust? Can you compare them?

 

TIA,

Jackie

[SusanAR]

Hi All,

This is David Chandler from Math Without Borders. Laura alerted me to this thread and thought it would be good to post answers to some of the questions.

 

First of all, the dogs. My "studio" is a little room added onto the back of the garage so Carolyn doesn't have to walk around on tiptoes in the house all day. We have neighbors with noisy dogs. I try to avoid times when they are particularly aroused, and they are somewhat muffled by the closed door. There is also an annoying ice cream truck that clutters the noise space and neighbors who do loud dance parties at the end of the block that cut into my recording time. I don't know if I have successfully eliminated all of those noises. Overall I think it's a reasonably quiet teaching environment.

 

I don't do graphing calculators. My personal feeling is there are different technologies appropriate for different problems. I see pocket calculators as ideal for on-the-fly problem solving with a small input pad and small readout...preferably something one wouldn't mind carrying around in one's pocket. Problems that involve graphing work better with a large screen and more fluent input modes. That's why I use a simple calculator on-screen and other tools for other purposes. So far, I've managed to do all the required programming on a spreadsheet. My real-world programming tool of choice is Python. It's pretty easy to learn, but I haven't introduced it in my math lessons, at least not yet.

 

That said, I realize your kids may run into other courses down the line that assume they have a graphing calculator. In a classroom environment I would bite the bullet and go along to get along, but home schoolers can do it in whatever way makes the most sense. Ultimately I would recommend getting fluent on a graphing calculator just to increase one's skill set, but I don't use them in my own teaching. (There is a lot of how-to literature on the subject of graphing calculators.)

 

That may be a cop-out, but I think you have to admit it is a well rationalized cop-out.

 

By the way, if you want to see some nice applications of trig, and a few other math skills, check out my web page for a new sideline I'm starting up: HomeStarEngineering.com. (I really do use math outside the classroom!) I came up with this design because our own house has a North-South roofline and I wanted to put solar panels on in such a way that they qualified for the full rebate and produced the maximum power. (I did it without a graphing calculator!!!)

 

David,

The "dogs" didn't bother us in the least, and we didn't think it was a distraction from learning; in fact, it made us chuckle and made you seem like a "real" person since we can't "see" you and can only hear your voice;).

 

susan

[Nissi]

Thanks to all.

[BlsdMama]

As an aside, I came across this today when trying to figure out what kind of calculator he recommends. I'm thankful for this program. I'm sold on using Foerester, but simply wasn't finding the time to sit down with Christian each and every day.