After two weeks with AOPS Pre-Alg, some thoughts

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

My ds, grade 4 soon to be grade 5 (age 10), is just wrapping up chapter 2 of AOPS Pre-A.  I thought I'd give a few initial impressions for anyone considering AOPS.  

 

DS has always been a strong math student, though not particularly motivated.  He also claimed to not particularly like math.  We did RSB, followed by Singapore math 1b-5b.

 

Since beginning AOPS, I've walked him through the auto-didact process I want him to use to complete the materials.  

 

Read the intro (if there is one), then attempt problems.  Refer to solutions in text when really stuck.  Ask me any questions that you don't understand.

Read through problem solutions completely and compare to his responses.

Do exercises

Check answers with me.

At the end of the chapter:

Watch chapter videos online

Read through review section

Do review exercises, check answers with me

Challenge problems with me.

 

Now, for my comments:

 

- His ability to get through independently is growing by leaps and bounds.  We are still occasionally having the "This looks hard, can you just explain this one to me?", to which I reply that he needs to spend more than 10 seconds looking at the problem.  Within 30 seconds, I hear an "Oh!" and see him scribbling away because it's clicked and he can move forward.  

 

- When his timer goes off (I don't find AOPS easy to parcel out, as some sections are significantly longer or harder than others, so he just works for 45 minutes), I am now regularly hearing:  "Let me just finish this problem/read the solutions/finish the exercises."  This has NEVER happened before in elementary level math.

 

- I see genuine happiness on his face when he has an "Oh!" moment and is able to work through a problem he at first was intimidated by.

 

- I find the challenge problems to be a real time suck.  We do a few together, then we move on.  It may be something we come back to as a review at the end of the book... or it may not.  

 

 .......

 

I am really, really impressed by the program.  Not because the materials are so great (though I think they are) but because they are bringing out a really wonderful side of my ds.  Let's face it, the book is downright intimidating.  It is huge blocks of text full of math jargon, followed by some pretty intense exercise sets.  I am telling myself that if he can work his way through a book like this, the sky is really the limit in terms of self-teaching as we move up in grades towards high school.

 

Thank you for all who recommended the program.  I'm glad I bit the bullet.   

 

 

ETA:  The title should read "After two chapters...".  It has taken us more than two weeks to get through those chapters!

Edited June 26, 2017 by Monica_in_Switzerland

[Julie of KY]

So glad it working for you. It's cool to see that light-bulb moment.

[kesmom]

Thank you for this! My 6th grader is getting ready to start and it's a big change from Singapore. (she has done some BA on the side)

[YodaGirl]

I'm so glad to hear this! He sounds really similar to my 10 yr old DD. We're starting Math in Focus 5A/5B in the fall (5th) with the idea of doing AOPS Pre-Algebra in 6th.

 

I'm glad to hear it's working so well for your son!

[NormaElle]

Thanks for this! My seventh grader will be starting in the fall. So glad to read this review.

[daijobu]

:hurray:

 

I am so impressed.  No way could my kids have studied that text independently of me.  Learning to study independently from a dense textbook is an important academic life skill that will serve him well in the years to come.  

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

:hurray:

 

I am so impressed.  No way could my kids have studied that text independently of me.  Learning to study independently from a dense textbook is an important academic life skill that will serve him well in the years to come.  

 

I do sit next to him and do math with his sister and he does ask me the occasional question, but generally, I too have been blown away by how well he is moving through the material on his own.

[sweetpea3829]

Thanks for posting this, Monica.  Your son sounds very similar to mine.  He just finished Singapore 5B in April, and launched into Beast 5, which we'll complete prior to starting AoPS Pre-Al.  

 

He's been more frustrated lately, than I've ever seen him in math, and I think he might need a bit of decompress time before I give him over to AoPS.  But we'll see.  He's only halfway through the Beast 5A book, so it will likely be more towards winter before he starts Pre-Al.  

[EmseB]

I'm replying this to save for next school year (like 18-19 next) and/or later this year.  Thanks for laying this out.