mamajulie Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 Can you help me pick an algebra course that my daughter can possibly complete in the next 4 months? It will be her only course work over the summer. I can help her, but she is so resistant to sitting down with me to do the lessons, I am looking at something she can do more on her own, like Tabletclass or Teaching Textbooks. She has gotten through the first five chapters of Jacob's, and has done ok with it. She's not a great math student, (the first half of this year was spent reviewing pre-algebra) and she puts a lot more time and effort into her other assignments. I want her to take an online geometry class in the fall, and I think she can get through algebra if she has no other classes to use as an excuse. I also think that she would benefit from more immediate feedback when she's working problems. Thoughts? Am I just expecting too much? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
go_go_gadget Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 Algebra is the foundation for higher-level mathematics and ought not to be rushed, and I'd especially not recommend rushing algebra if the first half of this year was needed to review pre-algebra. How old is she? 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klmama Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 Give her .5 credit for pre-algebra this year, and .5 credit for Algebra IA. If she gets done with Algebra IB over the summer, that's great, but let her take one semester next year, too, if it's needed. You want her to be SOLID in this. If she's not, it will come back to bite her again and again in both math and science courses. Since she doesn't like you to teach her, would she be willing to watch video instruction for the text? You might look here: http://www.askdrcallahan.com/algebra/ If you click on the DVD set and scroll down you can see a sample. As for more immediate feedback, with the purchase of a DVD set you have access to online tutors for homework help. Another idea: is she mature enough to check her own work with the solutions manual after each problem or section to verify understanding before continuing to the next part? 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1Togo Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 TabletClass with weekly tutoring from the author is my suggestion. After you discuss what your dad had covered, goals, etc., he can map out a plan. We've gone from frustration and struggles in our house to working through Algebra 2 and Geometry with understanding this year. I am hoping for TC Pre-calc next year, but if not, the foundation is now in place. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In The Great White North Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 What online class is she taking for geometry? Have you asked them what they recommend (which realistically may be their algebra class)? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiana Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 Tabletclass or TT would probably be a good choice, but I would actively avoid enrolling for online geometry in the fall if she has not yet begun algebra 1 (she is still really in the pre-algebra part of Jacobs). A student with a poor and/or rushed foundation in algebra 1 tends to struggle in algebra 2 and precalculus, and it is not really worth it to rush through algebra only to have to repeat algebra 2. I would definitely move through algebra at the most rapid pace that she is capable of understanding, but I think planning for summer school completion is overly ambitious. It would be reasonable to work through something like TT algebra 1 + 2 and then do geometry the next year. She'd have two summers and a whole school year to get through two classes. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamajulie Posted April 8, 2015 Author Share Posted April 8, 2015 Wow, great advice. go_go_gadget, I did manage to leave out the important info that she is almost 15, and in 9th grade! I hate that she is so far behind in math, but we keep having to back up and review. And she doesn't like math, so it is not important to her. I have been trying so hard to get her caught up in math, but maybe I'm approaching it the wrong way. You are all saying it's not a good idea to rush this, and it certainly helps to hear that. I was planning on her taking geometry with Jann in Tx, and I will get in touch with her for suggestions. Maybe she can back up to algebra. And I should give up on getting her through anything more than algebra and geometry for high school. kiana, you're right. Algebra 1 and 2 back to back might be better for her. She struggles with logical thinking, and prefers creative outlets like music, drawing, and writing. I outsourced all other classes for this child this year, when I realized how much more effort she puts in for other people. But she begged me to keep teaching her math because she likes the way I explain things. Which would be fine if it wasn't such a struggle to get her to come do the work. I feel confident that making her obligated to something or someone besides me will make a big difference. I'm going to look into the tutoring with tablet class! Thanks, everyone! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiana Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 I would definitely absolutely positively ask Jann for advice as well. She is very familiar with high school math programs and will know just how much algebra a student really needs to move forward with her class. I had not realized you were aiming at her class 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mathwonk Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 What about just continuing with Jacobs? That's my favorite for making algebra as fun as possible, and still completely substantive. There is no way to make it go faster, without omitting important things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneStepAtATime Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 What are her underlying struggles with math? Weak computational skills? Poor conceptual understanding? What are her goals for after High School? Would taking an extra year of high school to get through material be an option? What if you gave her a placement test like CLE, since it is free, just to see where any gaps might be? Go back a few levels on the placement test and keep moving forward until she hits a wall then just target areas that she struggled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.