geometry Math without Borders Review

[VANURSEPRAC]

I have purchased the Foerster Algebra I text and solution manual along with Math Without Borders Flash drive. Planning for  DD 12 will start this spring.

 

 

I am wondering about the geometry and or algebra  program from MWB. Can anyone comment?

 

I will add, 1) I have no algebra or geometry personal experience

                

                 2) This is a supplement to the algebra and geometry she will take in public school.

 

Thank You

 

 

[g1234]

We bought MWB geometry and the Chakerian book for this year. I'm sorry to say that we are underwhelmed. The book is so-so for my math-liking, good-attitude kid. The MWB component we dropped very fast. His intros to the chapters are nearly nonexistent, his additions on Geogebra and the "extensions" make the course take too long for one school year, and a lot of the answers in the book and on his pdfs are useless. (A common "answer" for a construction is, "Do it," for example.). A short way in, we realized a tutor was necessary....someone who can correct proofs. The book makes huge logical jumps. In the chapter she was doing last week, she was taught to find the area of a triangle (uhhhhh....she did that in 4th grade), and then the review section of this crazy easy chapter hurled all these gnarly proofs at her that required 1 1/2 hr of teaching from her tutor. And through it all, the MWB materials were useless. The only helpful thing is he gives answers to the reviews, which aren't in the book, but he gives them only in video, where you have to watch him work the whole thing to find out if you even got it wrong. PDF, please?! I also feel like the computational, non-proof side is neglected. I would like to see the book give her more complex volume/area/surface area kinds of problems.

 

Wish I could give a better review, but that's our experiece. We don't much like Chakerian, and MWB is nearly useless. Next year we plan to use Foerster for Alg 2, and we will not be buying MWB.

[EKS]

We used Math Without Borders for Algebra II.  My son made it through the first 5-6 chapters of the Foerster book, but it became obvious things weren't sticking.  One major issue is that there was a serious disconnect between the instruction on the DVD and in the book and the word problems.

 

We moved to Lial with me teaching and it was the best math year we ever had.  

[g1234]

We used Math Without Borders for Algebra II. My son made it through the first 5-6 chapters of the Foerster book, but it became obvious things weren't sticking. One major issue is that there was a serious disconnect between the instruction on the DVD and in the book and the word problems.

 

We moved to Lial with me teaching and it was the best math year we ever had.

EKS...is there a solutions manual for this, or are there just answers in the back? And which Lial are you using? I'm considering getting this as a second option if we don't understand something in Foerster or if we don't like it!

[EKS]

EKS...is there a solutions manual for this, or are there just answers in the back? And which Lial are you using? I'm considering getting this as a second option if we don't understand something in Foerster or if we don't like it!

 

We used Lial's Intermediate Algebra (this version).  There is a *wonderful* solutions manual for it.  I recommend getting the instructor's version of the solutions manual if you can find it because it has solutions for all the problems, not just the odds.

[VANURSEPRAC]

We bought MWB geometry and the Chakerian book for this year. I'm sorry to say that we are underwhelmed. The book is so-so for my math-liking, good-attitude kid. The MWB component we dropped very fast. His intros to the chapters are nearly nonexistent, his additions on Geogebra and the "extensions" make the course take too long for one school year, and a lot of the answers in the book and on his pdfs are useless. (A common "answer" for a construction is, "Do it," for example.). A short way in, we realized a tutor was necessary....someone who can correct proofs. The book makes huge logical jumps. In the chapter she was doing last week, she was taught to find the area of a triangle (uhhhhh....she did that in 4th grade), and then the review section of this crazy easy chapter hurled all these gnarly proofs at her that required 1 1/2 hr of teaching from her tutor. And through it all, the MWB materials were useless. The only helpful thing is he gives answers to the reviews, which aren't in the book, but he gives them only in video, where you have to watch him work the whole thing to find out if you even got it wrong. PDF, please?! I also feel like the computational, non-proof side is neglected. I would like to see the book give her more complex volume/area/surface area kinds of problems.

 

Wish I could give a better review, but that's our experiece. We don't much like Chakerian, and MWB is nearly useless. Next year we plan to use Foerster for Alg 2, and we will not be buying MWB

 

 

 

Can you recommend a program for geometry?

 

I'll  give the Algebra I a chance since I already paid for it. I will post my review upon completion.

[g1234]

I wish I could recommend a geometry text.  I wish we'd gone with Jacobs 2nd edition (which is not discovery-based, as is the 3rd edition--this daughter hates discovery-based math).  I have it, but decided to go with Chakerian.  So although I wish we'd gone with that, I can't speak from experience about whether I actually like it or not.  In either case, I underestimated how much we'd need a real, live tutor to correct proofs.  Unless your geometry is up to snuff, I'd consider that.  I'm pretty confident through Alg. 2/trig or so, but geometry...no way.  I thought we could stumble along if we had the MWB program, but now I realize how wrong I was: even if it was a good program, it can't correct my daughter's proofs.  There are often multiple correct ways to write a proof, and then there are more- and less-elegant ways, and...well, geometry's just a different beast in some ways.  Hth.  And I hope your Alg. 1 program works well for you!