hollyhock Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 My oldest son really enjoys knowing the "whys" behind math. This wasn't hard to give him in elementary school because he used Math Mammoth. But now he's into pre-algebra and using MEP 8 and it's harder to understand the reasons why the concepts work (arithmetic with negative numbers, beginning algebra, etc.). Is there a program for higher levels of math that teaches the "whys"? A supplement would be good, too. How about Life of Fred? I've heard that it explains the reasoning of math. Yes/no? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wapiti Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 Of course there are programs that emphasize concepts. Perhaps start with the AoPS Prealgebra free videos. I don't know LOF (I have it but have never used it) though the extent to which it teaches concepts seems to be controversial. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoJosMom Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 I would second the AoPS recommendation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 Jousting Armadillos maybe? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desertflower Posted October 2, 2014 Share Posted October 2, 2014 I've seen before on another thread someone suggesting Liping Ma's books titled Young Mathematicians at Work and Knowing and Teaching Elementary Mathematics. I have not read them, but thought I'd mention it. Hth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiMi 4under3 Posted October 2, 2014 Share Posted October 2, 2014 I would second the AoPS recommendation. :iagree: Jousting Armadillos maybe? :iagree: Both of these came to mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momto6inIN Posted October 2, 2014 Share Posted October 2, 2014 We've used Video Text and it really explains the whys well. Several times while watching different videos with my son I've thought that I wish I'd been taught math like this, because then I would have maybe understood the point of it all a bit better and been willing to put extra effort into it and not have hated it so much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hollyhock Posted October 2, 2014 Author Share Posted October 2, 2014 Ok, thanks for the suggestions. I've always been a little afraid of AOPS and JA. Aren't they more for kids who are rather advanced or mathy? My oldest is the kid who barely made it through MM5 and couldn't handle 6. MEP has been a good fit for him but it seems to be lacking the reasoning behind the algorithms. I'd be sort of scared to try it with him. But maybe the free videos would be a good place to start. Thanks for that link. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wapiti Posted October 2, 2014 Share Posted October 2, 2014 My understanding is that JA is for all students. You're correct that the AoPS texts are designed to challenge bright students, but anyone can use the videos to supplement another program. (And then if you'd like to add in problems, Alcumus is the free on-line problem solving practice program at AoPS.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen in CO Posted October 2, 2014 Share Posted October 2, 2014 I've found that adding in reading about the history of science and math has really helped to cement the understanding that math was invented to solve real problems. Right now we're working through One, Two, Three Infinity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted October 2, 2014 Share Posted October 2, 2014 Ok, thanks for the suggestions. I've always been a little afraid of AOPS and JA. Aren't they more for kids who are rather advanced or mathy? My oldest is the kid who barely made it through MM5 and couldn't handle 6. MEP has been a good fit for him but it seems to be lacking the reasoning behind the algorithms. I'd be sort of scared to try it with him. But maybe the free videos would be a good place to start. Thanks for that link. Seconding that my understanding is that JA is for all students and AoPS for advanced, but it can still be right for kids who need a certain approach. I wouldn't assume he's not "mathy" or anything. It may be that MM ceased to be a good fit for completely other reasons. IMO, MEP is actually more rigorous than MM in some ways. Maybe someone whose kids liked it better than mine (and therefore stuck with it longer) can say, but I think there's a huge amount of "why" in MEP. It's just not in terms of English - this is why, that is why. It's in the math and how it builds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
................... Posted October 3, 2014 Share Posted October 3, 2014 Life of Fred definitely explains the why, but you have to have a kid that would actually want to read the story and digest it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted October 3, 2014 Share Posted October 3, 2014 How about Life of Fred? I've heard that it explains the reasoning of math. Yes/no? I have not seen any evidence that Life of Fred explains the whys of math (we've used Fractions-the Prealgebras). Have you looked at AoPS? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted October 3, 2014 Share Posted October 3, 2014 JA should be approachable by any student, I agree. You will need to work with your student - be their discussion buddy - for the first couple of chapters, which do a really nice job explaining the why of math and connecting inductive and deductive reasoning to math. It's much more approachable for moms and students than AoPS is. I've seen several people here with really advanced/AoPS kids say that JA is "too easy" but it was just right for us in 6th grade. After having done JA, the first few chapters of Jacobs Algebra are "too easy"!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hollyhock Posted October 3, 2014 Author Share Posted October 3, 2014 Seconding that my understanding is that JA is for all students and AoPS for advanced, but it can still be right for kids who need a certain approach. I wouldn't assume he's not "mathy" or anything. It may be that MM ceased to be a good fit for completely other reasons. IMO, MEP is actually more rigorous than MM in some ways. Maybe someone whose kids liked it better than mine (and therefore stuck with it longer) can say, but I think there's a huge amount of "why" in MEP. It's just not in terms of English - this is why, that is why. It's in the math and how it builds. Are you talking about the elementary levels of MEP or all of it? Because I know the elementary levels are like this but I thought the secondary levels were different. Maybe I am missing something! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrapbabe Posted October 5, 2014 Share Posted October 5, 2014 Algebra Unplugged by Jim Loats Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garga Posted October 5, 2014 Share Posted October 5, 2014 We just finished chapter 1 of Jousting Armadillos. (There are 5 or 6 sections per chapter. It took us 5 weeks to get through.) So far, it hasn't taught official pre-algebra yet, but it's been awesome in teaching how to think and how to figure things out on your own. This chapter had all sorts of puzzles in it. I did work with my son on it. There is discussion involved. We've enjoyed it. We are both not afraid of math but not die hard math lovers. He generally picks up on things quickly, but isn't necessarily gifted in math. If the book progresses the way it has been and really delves into the whys (as other posters are indicating) then it's a nice choice as a math supplement. ETA: I glanced through future chapters and it looks like they explain the whys pretty well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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