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Any reviews of Geometry: A Guided Inquiry, Chakerian et al?


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If you have used or looked at this geometry, I would like to know your opinion. My WTM search did not yield much, and some of the found threads are too old to access.

 

 

 

P.S.

Kolbe's online course is going to use it this year.

http://www.kolbe.org/online-courses/course-offerings/2014-15-school-year/high-school/online-math-courses/wcm-geom/

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We liked it here very much. We've used AoPS for other things, but for some reason I was afraid of their geometry book (not for my student, but for myself--I have real difficulties with spatial visualisation and those kinds of things), so we tried this instead. (Ironically, having finished the Chakerian book, my student had no trouble at all with the AoPS geometry post-test, so perhaps my fears were groundless!)

 

I didn't use the Math Without Borders materials, so I can't speak to those, nor do I know what you might get for supporting materials from Kolbe. We just had the book itself, and it was fine. Very occasionally (maybe half a dozen times in total), one of the really crunchy project section problems stumped us, but the nice thing about geometry is that the problems are all classic ones; it was easy to do an internet search for a similar type of problem and find a hint that sent us off on the right track. (I value long-term wrestling with hard problems, so we took care not to do this too early or too often--it was last-resort stuff.)

 

The opening section of each chapter is called the "Central." It starts with an intriguing problem to ponder, then leads you very much by the hand through a lengthy section where one eventually discovers the solution to the opening problem and further ramifications of that solution. There is a big review section in each chapter, generally going deeper than the central section problems; there are also self-tests, algebra review, and cumulative review sections. The really fun stuff is in the projects section; lots of those problems are HARD, as in spend half the day drawing, scratching one's head, trying different things, and finally yelling, "Eureka!" We loved those ones.

 

There are some answers in the book itself (for the various review sections and the self-tests); there are no answers for the Central or Project problems in the book.

 

I was a university teacher in a past life (not math, though!), and the book seems to me really admirable from a pedagogical point of view. It's an excellent teaching book, if you see what I mean; I don't think my student suffered too much from not having a professional math teacher at hand, because the book does a lot of that teaching work for you. I certainly didn't hand it over and leave, though; we worked together (the book is frequently exhorting the student to discuss with classmates, which we crossed out and put "discuss with your mum!").

 

Have you seen Maria Miller's review on the Math Mammoth website? It's quite detailed, and might help you decide.

 

I hope that helps a little; I know it felt very much like a shot in the dark when I originally ordered the book, not having seen very much feedback about it.

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Emerald Stoker,

 

Thanks so much. I will look at the Math Mammoth review. I have great regard for Maria Miller's opinion.

 

What's funny is that I am also scared of the Aops geometry book. I have the idea in my head that it is harder than the algebra book.

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