Congratulations to you both! :hurray:

I haven't had a chance to listen yet, but wanted to say thank you for posting it. I always enjoy SWB's talks . . . she keeps it real . . . and that is so refreshing and encouraging to me.

I have no experience with the Spoken Rhetoric class, but my son is taking the related middle school Socratic Discussion class, taught by the same instructor, Mrs. Swanson. I've been very pleased with his experience. At first DS was pretty shy about speaking over the microphone during class, but the instructor is very skilled at making the kids feel comfortable expressing themselves. She is kind, supportive, and provides good feedback. The course has covered exactly what was advertised. The assignments are appropriate for the target age and I see the value in each of them. The workload isn't heavy in terms of physical output, but there's a lot of analytical thinking and contemplating. At the beginning, the pace was slower, and then it gradually ramped up. DS now spends about 1.5 to 2 hours per week on assignments outside of class, which seems just right for this age and the nature of the course. My son truly looks forward to the live class every week. This class is new to WTMA this semester, as is Mrs. Swanson. But it is clear that Mrs. Swanson is an experienced, skilled teacher. I'm really glad DS has had the opportunity to take Socratic Discussion. With only one kid and limited local resources, I couldn't do a class like this at home. I consider it time and money well spent.

That's awesome. Tell your daughter congratulations! And thank you for passing on this encouragement!

Best wishes to your son and you, Lori. I hope his recovery goes swiftly and with no complications. :grouphug:

Congratulations to both of you!!!! :party:

Wow, congratulations! :party: And THANK YOU for sharing this with us. As someone following along behind you, your story is so inspiring!

FWIW, the Super Star Student course has been updated in a second edition with a more, um, polished teacher. And slightly different topics. We watched the second edition on Amazon streaming, after watching most of the first edition on library-borrowed DVDs, and we liked the newer one a lot better. But maybe the second one is the one you watched and didn't care for, LOL. OP, in addition to the above terrific suggestions, we also watched and enjoyed most of the episodes from a particular series on YouTube, featuring a community college instructor who teaches a class on study skills. (This was linked previously by another poster here on the boards - wish I could remember who.) Just do a search on YouTube for "LBCC Study Skills". (LBCC is Long Beach Community College.)

Same here, I agree. Yes, we're using the Math Without Borders videos. I have DS read the instruction and examples for each lesson in the text, then we watch the video for that lesson together. We like the videos. The videos for some of the lessons are short, around 10 minutes, some are 15-20 minutes, a few have been up to 30 minutes. For the most part, they go over the same examples that are presented in the text, but there are times when Mr. Chandler (the Math Without Borders creator/teacher) explains a concept differently than the text, so that helps. It all seems to stick better for DS when he gets it via multiple modes of input - reading, seeing, and hearing. He also takes notes from the videos, which is good practice, IMO. By itself, though, Foerster can be self-teaching, and for some kids, simply reading the text and working the examples will be enough without the videos. (FWIW, Mr. Chandler's voice is pleasant on the videos and he doesn't talk too fast. You never see him, though, just a screen on which he writes to show the examples.) BTW, if one uses a good prealgebra curriculum, the first 5 chapters of Foerster Algebra 1 will really be a very good review of prealgebra, going more deeply into prealgebra concepts with challenging problems, which I thought was a good thing. ETA: In case anyone wants to see samples of the MWB videos, there are some linked about halfway down on the product page here - http://mathwithoutborders.com/?page_id=4

Here's another good thread. It hasn't been updated in a while, but still might be helpful for you. Algebra Fence-Straddlers thread: http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/442409-algebra-fence-straddlers-master-thread/

Math Mammoth. The Grade 7 package is a complete prealgebra program. Concise instruction, mastery (not spiral), non-discovery, straight-forward, good word problems . . . much like Foerster. http://www.mathmammoth.com/complete/grade_7.php

I ordered a copy of this book because of your post, and I really, really like it! Thanks for posting about it.

I'd love to see a summer option for Intro to Spoken Rhetoric (high school). Mid-June to mid-August works for us. I also like the schedule mentioned above by FairProspects - two shorter sessions, A and B. Thank you, SWB and WTMA, for considering offering summer classes!

That's a great deal! Thank you for sharing!

Yay! Glad it's what you wanted. Enjoy!

Thank you for sharing this and for taking the time to provide links! Looks great!

Thank you!

Congrats to him! Way cool!

My son likes the music book by Basher. (Actually, he really enjoys the whole Basher series. Various subjects, lots of content made accessible to younger learners.) http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0753465957?keywords=basher%20music&qid=1444337021&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1

Rose, thank you for asking these questions. I've been puzzling/worrying over this issue as well and I couldn't have expressed it as well as you did. I so very much appreciate seeing all the responses!

Yes, same here. The ISBN on my copy is 0695202677, hardcover, black with yellow fireworks.

My son is taking it now. He's in 8th grade, 13.5 years old. The workload isn't too heavy in terms of physical output, but there's a lot of analytical thinking and contemplating and discussing going on that, IMO, is better-suited to upper logic stage. The course description indicates it is for 6th to 9th graders, and I personally think the upper end of that range is perfect for really digging in to the course materials that have been presented so far. Of course all kids are different, but I don't think my son would have benefited much from a class like this as a 5th or 6th grader. He just wouldn't have been ready at that age in terms of perspective and deeper thinking. (You know, there's so much brain-growth that takes place between the beginning and the end of logic stage. It's fascinating to watch.) Sorry, I hate to sound discouraging. But you know your kid better than anyone else, so YMMV. As far as the instructor, Mrs. Swanson, she's really wonderful. My son looks forward to the interactive discussions in her class every week.

My FIL is a police detective. He'd add to the above suggestions: the study of a foreign language. In our part of the country, the most useful one would be Spanish.

RootAnn, I'm so sorry to hear about your DD's experience thus far. FWIW, the workshop method wouldn't be a good fit for my kid either. I hope a solution can be worked out for your DD. :grouphug:

Thank you!