Elinor Everywhere Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 I'm in the midst of picking my dd's algebra book. I bought a used Foerster's which I really like the look of, and I also just received the above-mentioned Lial's. In looking them over, I prefer the style of Foerster's. I like the way he explains things, and the text itself is appealing. The Lial's book seems to cater to visual learners, which sometimes is distracting. But I do like the real-life problems and I see that it has a lot of additional help available should my dd need it. At this time I'm leaning toward Foerster - but for those of you who have used them, any reason why I should pick Lial? Thanks, Diane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jann in TX Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 Lial was designed for more 'independent' learning--so the explanaitions and examples are more detailed...it is also made for block scheduling--each lesson worked over 2 days... Foerster's is a typical traditional PS text. It has daily lessons--but some may take an extra day. It has a mini-lesson but was designed to be 'taught' so the mini-lesson is supplemental (meaning an independent learner may need some occasional assistance). Both texts were made to the same 'standards' of content...both are good! I use Lial in my online classes--because it is easy for me to adapt to a wide range of learning styles... I have had Algebra and Geometry students who used Foerster's Algebra 1--and they were well grounded in their skills... I do prefer the way Lial teaches word problems (chart method)--but that is easy to learn if you decide to use Foerster and your student needs a different method...I prefer my own method for factoring quadratics (FOIL method)... you can e-mail me and I can send you a link if you ever need that. Use what YOU and YOUR STUDENT are comfortable with...sounds like you prefer Foersters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elinor Everywhere Posted March 31, 2010 Author Share Posted March 31, 2010 Thanks, Jann. They both look good and I wish I could use both! :tongue_smilie: So you are saying I can't go wrong either way....and that's good to know. I can't believe I'm even at this point in our homeschooling journey! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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